Esa Pulkkinen
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence of Finland
Lieutenant General Esa Pulkkinen is the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence of Finland and the Chair of the Security Committee. He joined the Finnish Armed Forces in 1977 and has served in a wide range of leadership positions. In 2008–2010, General Pulkkinen served as the Director of Operations in the EU Military Staff (OF-6) and after assignments in the EUMS as Branch Chief (OF-5), and as Seconded National Expert (SNE) within the Interim Military Staff (2000–2003). He chaired the Defence Policy working group for Finland’s EU Presidency in 2006. In 2011–2016, he served as Director General for Defence Policy in the Ministry of Defence. General Pulkkinen served as Director General of the EU Military Staff (EUMS) in 2016–2020. In 2021, he returned to his post as Director General of the Defence Policy Department and was appointed Permanent Secretary on 1 January 2022. He was a member of the Independent Commission on the Irish Defence Forces.
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Updated: March 6, 2022
