Ari Puheloinen to be new Chief of Defence

Admiral Kaskeala to retire

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The Chief of Finland’s Defence Staff, Lieutenant-General Ari Puheloinen, 57, is set to be named Finland’s Chief of Defence for a five-year term. The Finnish News Agency STT reported that President Tarja Halonen will officially make the appointment on Friday.
      Puheloinen himself told Helsingin Sanomat that he did not want to give any interviews on the matter at this stage.
      The post of Chief of Defence becomes vacant when its current holder, Admiral Juhani Kaskeala retires at the beginning of August.
      Puheloinen has long been seen as a likely candidate for the post.
     
At the Parola armoured brigade, where he has had his most extensive field experience, Puheloinen is praised as a meticulous, demanding, but fair leader.
      When he began as brigade commander in 1999, he did not start a round of massive changes, as so many new commanders do. Instead, he spent several weeks carefully checking the locations before making the changes that he felt were necessary.
      As Commander of the Eastern Defence Region from 2004 to 2007, Puheloinen helped prepare the transfer of the staff of the Finnish Army to Mikkeli.
     
Puheloinen has had international experience, serving as a deputy military attaché in Moscow, and in special OSCE duties in Vienna. As a younger man, he studied at Harvard University in the United States.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  New Finnish Chief of Defence: possible NATO membership of Baltic States a stabilising factor (7.6.2001)
  Chief of Defence Kaskeala calls for boost in military spending (23.1.2008)
  Admiral Kaskeala: Joint Nordic air surveillance possible (22.1.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat