| Commander of the Joint Headquarters | |
|---|---|
| Latvijas Nacionālo bruņoto spēku komandieris | |
| Latvian National Armed Forces | |
| Member of | The Joint Headquarters |
| Reports to | Ministry of Defence |
| Website | mil.lv |
The Commander of the Joint Headquarters is Chief of the Latvian National Armed Forces and the national defence organisations.
| No. | Portrait | Armed Forces Commander | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Dāvids Sīmansons (1859–1933) (Supreme Commander of the Latvian Armed Forces) | 10 July 1919 | 16 October 1919 | 98 days | |
| 2 | General Jānis Balodis (1881–1965) (Supreme Commander of the Latvian Armed Forces) | 16 October 1919 | 1 April 1921 | 1 year, 167 days | |
| 3 | General Mārtiņš Peniķis (1874–1964) | 1 April 1921 | 23 February 1924 | 2 years, 328 days | |
| 4 | General Pēteris Radziņš (1880–1930) | 23 February 1924 | 25 April 1928 | 4 years, 62 days | |
| (3) | General Mārtiņš Peniķis (1874–1964) | 25 April 1928 | 14 November 1934 | 6 years, 203 days | |
| 5 | General Krišjānis Berķis (1884–1942) | 14 November 1934 | 20 June 1940 | 5 years, 219 days | |
| 6 | General Roberts Kļaviņš (1884–1941) | 20 June 1940 | 24 December 1940 | 187 days |
For period from 1940 to 1992, see Chief of the General Staff.
| No. | Portrait | Commander of the Joint Headquarters | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colonel Dainis Turlais (born 1950) | 29 October 1992 | 25 October 1994 | 1 year, 361 days | ||
| 2 | Colonel Juris Dalbiņš (born 1954) | 25 October 1994 | 8 June 1998 | 3 years, 226 days | ||
| 3 | Colonel Juris Eihmanis (born 1954) | 25 June 1998 | 10 December 1998 | 168 days | ||
| 4 | Brigadier general Raimonds Graube (born 1957) | 1 February 1999 | 31 January 2003 | 3 years, 364 days | ||
| 5 | Vice admiral Gaidis Andrejs Zeibots (born 1945) | 31 January 2003 | 6 July 2006 | 3 years, 156 days | ||
| 6 | Major general Juris Maklakovs (born 1964) | 6 July 2006 | 6 July 2010 | 4 years, 0 days | ||
| (4) | Lieutenant general Raimonds Graube (born 1957) | 6 July 2010 | 27 January 2017 | 6 years, 205 days | ||
| 7 | Lieutenant general Leonīds Kalniņš (born 1957) | 27 January 2017 | Incumbent | 6 years, 353 days | [1] |
The Latvian National Armed Forces, or NBS, are the armed forces of Latvia. Latvia's defense concept is based on a mobile professional rapid response force and reserve segment that can be called upon relatively fast for mobilization should the need arise. The National Armed Forces consists of Land Forces, Naval Forces, Air Force and National Guard. Its main tasks are to protect the territory of the State; participate in international military operations; and to prevent threats to national security.
Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral.
A commander in chief or supreme commander is the person who exercises supreme command and control over an armed force or a military branch. As a technical term, it refers to military competencies that reside in a country's executive leadership, a head of state, head of government, or other designated government official.
Many nations around the world observe some kind of Armed Forces Day to honor their military forces. This day is not to be confused with Veterans Day or Memorial Day.
Latvian Air Force is the aviation branch of the National Armed Forces. The first air force (AF) units were established 1992. It has no air combat capability, thus the defense of Latvian air space is maintained by NATO, with rotating detachments of four aircraft to Lithuania at four-monthly intervals.
Counter admiral is a rank found in many navies of the world, but no longer used in English-speaking countries, where the equivalent rank is rear admiral. The term derives from the French contre-amiral. Depending on the country, it is either a one-star or two-star rank.
Commissioned officers' rank comparison chart of all land forces of NATO member states.
Senior lieutenant is a military grade between a lieutenant and a captain, often used by countries from the former Eastern Bloc. It is comparable to first lieutenant.
The president of Latvia is head of state and commander-in-chief of the National Armed Forces of the Republic of Latvia.
The Latvian National Guard or NG is a part of the Latvian National Armed Forces. The National Guard is a basic land component, consisting of volunteers who perform traditional national guard duties such as crisis response and support for military operations. It consists of the Staff Headquarters and 4 brigades, which are divided into 18 battalions. The National Guard continued its development also after Latvia joined NATO.
The State Border Guard is the border guard of Latvia.
A chief of defence is the highest ranked commissioned officer of a nation's armed forces. The acronym CHOD is in common use within NATO and the European Union as a generic term for the highest national military position within the NATO and EU member states, rather than the actual term used for individual positions. Thus, irrespective of the formal national designation of that position is some variation on Commander-in-Chief, Chief of Staff, Supreme Commander, or something else, they can all be referred to unambiguously as CHODs in NATO and EU terminology, although other terms are sometimes also seen within NATO. Thus, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the CHOD of the United States, the Chief of the Defence Staff is the CHOD of the United Kingdom, the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr is the CHOD of Germany, and the Chief of Defence (Forsvarssjefen) is the CHOD of Norway.
The National Armed Forces Staff Battalion is a specialized battalion of Latvian National Armed Forces. Its main tasks are to ensure the security of the NAF Joint Headquarters, providing secure and uninterrupted communications to NAF units and participating in military ceremonies. The Battalion is directly subordinate to the Commander of the Joint Headquarters.
Major General is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a lieutenant general outranking a major general, whereas a major outranks a lieutenant.
The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) is a United Kingdom-led Northern European international expeditionary force which consists of the Nordic countries, the Baltic states, and the Netherlands. Nine of its ten member states are also members of NATO, with Sweden currently outside that alliance as their application is pending ratification.
The Central Military Band of the Latvian National Armed Forces also known as the NAF Staff Band is the central military band of the Latvian National Armed Forces Staff Battalion. It is the largest military band in Latvia.
Lieutenant General Leonīds Kalniņš is a Latvian politician and general. He currently serves as the Commander of the Joint Headquarters. He was born in 1957 in the Russian Pervomaysky District and attended the Dobele R. Eihes Secondary School in his youth. After graduating in 1975, he began his service in the Soviet Armed Forces, attending the Vilnius Higher Airborne Defense School. In 1990 he graduated from the Kharkov Military Academy in Ukraine. In 1997, he began his service in an infantry battalion in the Latvian National Armed Forces. His first official position he took was as the Chief of the Operational Planning Board of the Latvian National Guard Headquarters. In 2006, Kalniņš was appointed as deputy commander of the Latvian Contingent in Iraq. Between 2010 and 2013, he studied at the Baltic Defence College in Estonia and the United States Army Command and General Staff College in Kansas. In November 2016, he was promoted to the post of Commander of the Joint Headquarters of the NAF and was confirmed by the Saeima at the end of the year. He began his duties as NAF Commander on January 27, 2017. He is a recipient of the Order of Viesturs.
Rank comparison chart of non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and enlisted personnel for all armies and land forces of the European Union member states.
Rank comparison chart of all air forces of the European Union member states.
Rank comparison chart of air forces non-commissioned officers and other personnel of the European Union member states.
