2012
New appointments in the Defence Forces
At the Government plenary session on 19 January 2012, the following appointments to the position of general in the Defence Forces were presented to the President of the Republic:
As of 1 March 2012, Commander of the Finnish Air Force, Lieutenant General Jarmo Ilmari Lindberg (born in 1959) will take on the duties of Deputy Chief of Staff, Logistics and Armaments in the Defence Forces. He was appointed to Commander of the Air Force in 2008. Prior to this he has acted as Deputy Chief of Operations and Assistant Chief of Staff, Operations Division (J3) in the Defence Command; Commander in the Lapland Air Command; Chief of Plans and Operations, Chief of Readiness and Chief of Pilot Training in the Air Force Headquarters; and as Commander of Fighter Squadron in the Satakunta Air Command. He passed the General Staff Officer examination in 1993. He was promoted to Lieutenant General in 2011.
Assistant Chief of Staff Logistics, Brigadier General Lauri Tapio Puranen (born in 1959) was appointed Commander of the Finnish Air Force as of 1 March 2012. He took on the duties of Assistant Chief of Staff Logistics in the Defence Command in 2011. Prior to this he has acted as Chief of Staff in the Air Force Command; Assistant Chief of Staff C4 (J6) in the Defence Command; Chief of the Defence Staff Army Aviation Division and Senior Staff Officer in the Defence Staff Operations Division; Commander of the Lapland Air Command; and Chief of Operations and Senior Staff Officer in the Satakunta Air Command. He passed the General Staff Officer examination in 1995. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 2008.
Adjutant General, Brigadier General Heimo Touko Sakari Honkamaa (born in 1956) was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel, as of 1 July 2012. He took on the duties of Adjutant General in 2010. Prior to this position, he has acted as Commander of Kainuu Brigade; Military Attaché in the United States and Canada, based in Washington; on a special assignment and as Chief of Strategic Planning Sector in the Defence Staff; Assisting Secretary in the National Defence Council; Staff Officer in the Defence Staff Training Division; Commander of Finnish Battalion in KFOR, Kosovo; Commander of Satakunta Jaeger Battalion in Pori Brigade; instructor in tactics at the National Defence College; and training officer at the Military Academy. He passed the General Staff Officer examination in 1991. In addition, he has studied in the United States, Switzerland and Sweden. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 2008.
Commander of Kainuu Brigade, Brigadier General Jukka Ojala (born in 1960) is ordered to take on a special assignment in the Defence Command as of 1 April 2012 and, as of 1 July 2012, he is appointed to Adjutant General in the Defence Command. He took on the duties of Commander of Kainuu Brigade in 2010. Prior to this he has acted as teacher and Head of Department at the National Defence University; Chief of Section in the Plans & Policy Division, Deputy Chief of Division in the Operations Division, and Senior Staff Officer in the Personnel Division in the Defence Command; and Chief of Office and Head of Course at the Reserve Officer School. He passed the General Staff Officer examination in 1993. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 2011.
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