 |
This is a list of heads of state and government in any country who were military personnel. It does not include people who served in the military as part of mandatory peacetime military service or those who only held rank due to their position in government.
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahmad Shah Ahmadzai |  Afghan mujahideen | Prime Minister of Afghanistan (1995–1996) | 1979–1992 | Served in the Soviet–Afghan War. | ||
 | Martti Ahtisaari |  Finland | President of Finland (1994-2000) | Reserve Captain | ||
 | Idi Amin |  Uganda | President of Uganda (1971-1979) | 1946-1979 | Major-General Field Marshal (self-awarded) | |
 | Jacobo Arbenz |  Guatemala | President of Guatemala (1944-1945; 1951-1954) | 1932–1954 | Colonel | |
 | Mustafa Kemal Atatürk |  Ottoman Empire Turkey | President of Turkey (1923–1938) Prime Minister of the Grand National Assembly (1920–1921) | 1893–1919 1921–1927 | Major-General (Ottoman Empire) Marshal (Turkey) | Served in the Italo-Turkish War, Balkan Wars, World War I, and Turkish War of Independence. |
 | Clement Attlee |  United Kingdom | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1945-1951) | 1914–1919 | Major | Served in World War I. |
| Aye Ko |  Myanmar | Acting President of Burma (1988) | 1952–1985 | Lieutenant-General | ||
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr |  Ba'athist Iraq | President of Iraq (1968–1979) | 1938–1959 | Brigadier Marshal (as president) | Served in the Anglo-Iraqi War. |
 | Ehud Barak |  Israel | Prime Minister of Israel (1999–2001) | 1959–1995 | Lieutenant-General | Served in the Six-Day War, Yom Kippur War, and Operation Entebbe. |
 | Bajram Begaj |  Albania | President of Albania (Since 2022) | 1988–2022 | Major-General | |
 | Menachem Begin |  Second Polish Republic Israel | Prime Minister of Israel (1977–1983) | 1941–1942 1943–1948 | Corporal (Poland) | Served in the Jewish insurgency in Mandatory Palestine and 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine. |
 | Naftali Bennett | Israel | Prime Minister of Israel (2021–2022) | 1990–1996 2006 | Major | Served in the First Intifada, South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000), Second Intifada, and 2006 Lebanon War. |
 | Pasteur Bizimungu |  Rwanda | President of Rwanda (1994–2000) | 1990–1994 | Served in the Rwandan Patriotic Front during the Rwandan Civil War. | |
 | Jair Bolsonaro |  Brazil | President of Brazil (2019–2022) | 1973–1988 | Captain | |
 | Leonid Brezhnev |  Soviet Union | General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1964-1982) Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (1977-1982) | 1941–1982 | Major-General (Commissar) Marshal of the Soviet Union (as General Secretary) | Served in World War II. |
 | George H. W. Bush |  United States | President of the United States (1989–1993) | 1942–1955 | Lieutenant | |
 | George W. Bush | United States | President of the United States (2001–2009) | 1968–1974 | First Lieutenant | |
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Cao Kun |  Qing Dynasty Republic of China | President of the Republic of China (1923–1924) | General | Served in the First Sino-Japanese War, National Protection War, and Warlord Era. | |
 | Karl Carstens |  West Germany | President of West Germany (1979–1984) | 1939–1945 | Second Lieutenant | Served in World War II. |
 | Jimmy Carter | United States | President of the United States (1977–1981) | 1946–1953 | Lieutenant | |
 | Charles X Gustavus of Sweden |  Sweden | King of Sweden (1654-1660) | 1642-1660 | Served in the Thirty Years' War Led the Swedish army in the Second Northern War (1655-1660) | |
 | Charles XI of Sweden | Sweden | King of Sweden (1660-1697) | 1660-1697 | Led the Swedish army in the Scanian War (1675-1679) | |
 | Charles XII of Sweden | Sweden | King of Sweden (1697-1718) | 1697-1700 | Led the Swedish army in the Great Northern War (1700-1718) | |
 | Charles XIII of Sweden | Sweden | King of Sweden (1809-1818) King of Norway (1814-1818) | Admiral | Led the Swedish fleet (albeit mostly just nominally) in the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790) | |
 | Charles XIV John of Sweden | Sweden | Prince of Pontecorvo (1805-1809) King of Sweden and Norway (1818-1844) | 1780-1809 (France) 1809-1814 (Sweden) | Marshal of France (France) Generalissimo (Sweden) | Raised to the highest ranks in the revolutionary and Napoelonic armies of France Led the Swedish army in the last years of the Napoleonic Wars (War of the Sixth Coalition) and in the Swedish–Norwegian War (1814) |
 | Charles III of the United Kingdom | United Kingdom | King of the United Kingdom (2022–present) | 1971–1976 | Commander Admiral of the Fleet (as Prince of Wales) | |
 | Chen Mingshu |  Republic of China | Premier of the Republic of China (1931) | Also a leader of the Fujian People's Government. | ||
 | Konstantin Chernenko | Soviet Union | General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1984-1985) Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (1984-1985) | 1930–1933 | ||
 | Chiang Kai-shek |  Empire of Japan Republic of China Taiwan | Chairman of the National Government of China (1943–1948) President of the Republic of China (1948–1949, 1950–1975) Premier of the Republic of China (1930–1931, 1935–1938, 1939–1945, 1947) | 1909–1975 | Generalissimo | Leader of Nationalist Chinese forces during the Northern Expedition, Chinese Civil War, and World War II. |
 | Winston Churchill | United Kingdom | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1940-1945, 1951-1955) | 1893–1924 | Lieutenant-Colonel | |
 | René Coty |  France | President of France (1954–1959) | 1914–1918 | Served in World War I. | |
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Deng Xiaoping |  Communist China China | Paramount leader of China (1978–1989) Secretary-General of the Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Party (1956–1967) | 1929–1952 1975–1980 | Chief of the General Staff | Served in Communist Chinese forces during the Chinese Civil War and World War II. |
 | Samuel Doe |  Liberia | Chairman of the People's Redemption Council (1980–1986) President of Liberia (1986–1990) | 1969–1985 | Master Sergeant | Came to power in a coup d'etat. |
 | Dong Biwu | Communist China | Chairman of the People's Republic of China (1972–1975) | 1927–1949 | Served in Communist Chinese forces during the Chinese Civil War and World War II. | |
 | Du Xigui | Qing Dynasty Republic of China | President of the Republic of China (1926) Premier of the Republic of China (1926) | 1902–1933 | Admiral | Served in the Chinese Civil War. |
 | Duan Qirui | Qing Dynasty Republic of China | Chief Executive of the Republic of China (1924–1926) Premier of the Republic of China (1916–1917, 1917, 1918) | 1885–1926 | General | Served in the Boxer Rebellion and Warlord Era. |
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | United States | President of the United States (1953–1961) | 1915–1953 1961–1969 | General of the Army | Commander of American forces on Western Front during World War II. |
 | António Ramalho Eanes |  Portugal | President of Portugal (1976–1986) | 1952–1986 | General | |
 | Alois Eliáš |  Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia | Prime Minister of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (1939–1941) | 1915–1942 | Major-General General (posthumous) | |
 | Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom | United Kingdom | Queen of the United Kingdom (1952–2022) | 1945 | Junior Commander | Served in World War II. |
 | Tage Erlander | Sweden | Prime Minister of Sweden (1948-1968) | Reserve Liutenant | ||
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Feng Guozhang | Qing Dynasty Republic of China | President of the Republic of China (1917–1918) | General officer | Served in the National Protection War. | |
 | Gerald Ford | United States | President of the United States (1974–1977) | 1942–1946 | Lieutenant Commander | Served in World War II. |
 | Frederick I of Sweden | Hesse-Kassel Sweden | King of Sweden (1720-1751) | 1703-1706 1716-1718 | Lieutenant General (Hesse-Kassel) Generalissimo (Sweden) | Lead Hessian troops in the War of the Spanish Succession. Joined the campaign of Charles XII of Sweden against Norway in the last years of the Great Northern War |
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Muammar Gaddafi |  Libya | Leader of Libya (1969–2011) | 1961–2011 | Colonel | |
 | Charles de Gaulle | France | President of France (1959–1969) Prime Minister of France (1958–1959) Chairman of the Provisional Government of the French Republic (1944–1946) | 1912–1944 | Brigadier-General | Served in World War I. Leader of Free France. |
 | George VI of the United Kingdom | United Kingdom | King of the United Kingdom (1936–1952) | 1913–1919 | Squadron Leader Admiral of the Fleet (as king) | Served in World War I. |
 | Kiro Gligorov |  Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia | President of Macedonia (1991–1999) | 1942–1945 | Served in the Yugoslav partisans during World War II. | |
 | Ulysses S. Grant | United States | President of the United States (1869–1877) | 1839–1854 1861–1869 | General of the Army | Commanding General of the Union Army in the American Civil War. |
 | Klement Gottwald |  Czechoslovakia | President of Czechoslovakia (1948–1953) Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia (1946–1948) | 1915–1920 | Corporal | Served in World War I and Hungarian–Czechoslovak War. [1] [2] |
 | Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden | Sweden | King of Sweden (1611-1632) | 1611-1632 | Led the Swedish army in the Polish–Swedish War (1626–1629) and the Thirty Years' War | |
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Juvénal Habyarimana |  Rwanda | President of Rwanda (1973–1994) | 1963–1994 | Served during the Rwandan Civil War. | |
| Sinan Hasani | Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia | President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia (1986–1987) | 1941–1944 | Served in the Yugoslav partisans during World War II. | ||
 | He Yingqin | Qing Dynasty Republic of China Taiwan | Premier of the Republic of China (1949) | 1908–1987 | General | Served during the Northern Expedition, Chinese Civil War, and World War II. |
 | Gulbuddin Hekmatyar |  Hezbi Islami Afghan mujahideen Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin | Prime Minister of Afghanistan (1993–1994, 1996–1997) | 1979–present | Serving in the Afghanistan conflict (1978–present). | |
 | Maximiliano Hernández Martínez |  El Salvador | President of El Salvador (1931–1934, 1935–1944) | 1899–1944 | Brigadier General | Served in the Third Totoposte War |
 | Chaim Herzog | United Kingdom Israel | President of Israel (1983–1993) | 1943–1947 1948–1962 | Major (United Kingdom) Major-General (Israel) | Served in World War II and the 1948 Palestine war. |
 | Isaac Herzog | Israel | President of Israel (2021–present) | 1978 | Major | |
 | Paul von Hindenburg | Germany | President of Germany (1925–1934) | 1866–1911 1914–1918 | Field Marshal | Commander of the Imperial German Army during World War I. |
 | Adolf Hitler |  Nazi Germany | Führer of Germany (1934–1945) Chancellor of Germany (1933–1945) | 1914–1918 | Corporal | Served in World War I. |
 | Enver Hoxha |  People's Socialist Republic of Albania | First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania (1941–1985) Prime Minister of Albania (1944–1954) | 1941–1945 1944–1985 | General | Leader of Albanian communist partisans during World War II. |
 | Hua Guofeng | Communist China | Premier of the People's Republic of China (1976–1980) Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (1976–1981) | 1938–1949 | Served in Communist Chinese forces during the Chinese Civil War and World War II. | |
 | Hu Yaobang | Communist China | General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (1982–1987) | 1927–1949 | Served in Communist Chinese forces during the Chinese Civil War and World War II. Also participated in the encirclement campaigns. Child soldier. | |
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Wojciech Jaruzelski |  Poland | President of Poland (1989-1990) Prime Minister of Poland (1981-1985) | 1943–1991 | General | Served in World War II. |
 | Jiang Chaozong | Qing Dynasty Republic of China | Premier of the Republic of China (1917) | General | ||
 | Jin Yunpeng | Qing Dynasty Republic of China | Premier of the Republic of China (1919–1920, 1920–1921) | General | ||
 | Andrew Johnson | United States | President of the United States (1865–1869) | 1862–1865 | Brigadier General | |
 | Lyndon B. Johnson | United States | President of the United States (1963–1969) | 1941–1942 | Commander | Served in World War II. |
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Laurent-Désiré Kabila |  Democratic Republic of the Congo | President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1997–2001) | Served in the Simba Rebellion and First Congo War. | ||
 | Joseph Kabila | Democratic Republic of the Congo | President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2001–2019) | Major-General | ||
 | Paul Kagame | Uganda Rwanda | President of Rwanda (2000–present) | 1979–2000 | Served in the Ugandan Bush War. Commanded the Rwandan Patriotic Front during the Rwandan Civil War. | |
 | Urho Kekkonen | Finland | President of Finland (1956-1981) | 1918 | Sergeant (1920) | Served on the 'White' side in the Finnish Civil War in 1918. |
 | John F. Kennedy | United States | President of the United States (1961–1963) | 1941–1945 | Lieutenant | Served in World War II. |
 | Mohammad Khatami |  Iran | President of Iran (1997–2005) | 1968–1970 | Second Lieutenant | |
 | Khin Nyunt |  Myanmar | Prime Minister of Myanmar (2003–2004) | 1960–2004 | General | |
 | Nikita Khrushchev | Soviet Union | First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1953-1964) Chairman of the Council of Ministers (1958-1964) | 1941–1945 | Lieutenant-General (Commissar) | Served in World War II. |
 | Lazar Koliševski | Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia | President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia (1980) | 1941–1980 | Major-General | Served in the Yugoslav partisans during World War II. |
 | Horst Köhler | Germany | President of Germany (2004–2010) | 1963–1965 | Reserve Lieutenant | |
 | Mauno Koivisto | Finland | President of Finland (1982-1994) | 1939-1944 | Corporal | Served in the Winter War and the Continuation War. |
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Arvid Lindman | Sweden | Prime Minister of Sweden (1906-1911 and 1928-1930) | 1882–1892 | Reserve Rear-Admiral | |
 | Li Xiannian | Communist China | President of the People's Republic of China (1983–1988) | 1927–1949 | Served in Communist Chinese forces during the Chinese Civil War and World War II. | |
 | Li Yuanhong | Qing Dynasty Republic of China | President of the Republic of China (1916–1917, 1922–1923) | 1889–1912 | Served in the First Sino-Japanese War. | |
 | Liu Shaoqi | Communist China | Chairman of the People's Republic of China (1959–1968) | 1941–1949 | Served in Communist Chinese forces during the Chinese Civil War and World War II. | |
 | Alexander Lukashenko |  Belarus | President of Belarus (1994–present) | 1994–present | Lieutenant-Colonel | |
 | Heinrich Lübke | West Germany | President of West Germany (1959–1969) | 1914–1918 | Captain | Served in World War I. |
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Gustaf Mannerheim | Finland | Regent of Finland (1918-1919) President of Finland (1944–1946) | 1891-1917 (Russia) 1918, 1939-1944 (Finland) | Lieutenant-General (Russia) Marshal of Finland (Finland) | Served in World War I for Imperial Russia. Led the Finnish government armed forces (the "White" forces) in the Finnish Civil War, led the Finnish armed forces in the Winter War, Continuation War, Lapland War |
 | Mao Zedong | Communist China | Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (1943–1976) Chairman of the People's Republic of China (1949–1959) | 1927–1949 | Led Communist Chinese forces during the Chinese Civil War and World War II. | |
| Maung Maung Kha | Empire of Japan Myanmar | Prime Minister of Burma (1977–1988) | 1941–1948 | Colonel | Served in World War II. | |
 | William McKinley | United States | President of the United States (1897–1901) | 1861–1865 | Brevet Major | Served in American Civil War. |
 | Dmitry Medvedev |  Russia | President of Russia (2008-2012) Prime Minister of Russia (2012-2020) | 2008-2012 | Colonel | |
 | Min Aung Hlaing |  Myanmar | Chairman of the State Administration Council (2021–present) Prime Minister of Myanmar (2021–present) | 1972–present | Senior General | |
 | Mobutu Sese Seko |  Belgian Congo Republic of the Congo (Léopoldville) Zaire | President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1965–1971) President of Zaire (1971–1997) | 1949–1997 | NCO Field Marshal (as president) | Served in the Congo Crisis and First Congo War. |
 | Alfred Moisiu | People's Socialist Republic of Albania | President of Albania (2002–2007) | 1949–1985 | General | |
 | Sibghatullah Mojaddedi | Afghan mujahideen | President of Afghanistan (1992) | 1979–1992 | Served in the Soviet–Afghan War. | |
 | Lazar Mojsov | Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia | President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia (1987–1988) | 1941–1945 | Served in the Yugoslav partisans during World War II. | |
 | Yoweri Museveni | Uganda | President of Uganda (1986–present) | 1971–2004 | General (as president) | Served in the 1972 invasion of Uganda, Uganda–Tanzania War, Ugandan Bush War, First Congo War, and Second Congo War. |
| Myint Swe | Myanmar | President of Myanmar (2018, 2021–present) | Lieutenant-General | 1971–2010 | ||
 | Mohammed Najibullah |  Democratic Republic of Afghanistan | General Secretary of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (1986–1992) | Major-General (KHAD) General (as General Secretary) | 1965–1992 | Served in the Soviet–Afghan War. |
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Ne Win | Empire of Japan Myanmar | President of Burma (1962–1981) Prime Minister of Burma (1958–1960, 1962–1974) | 1931–1974 | General | Served in World War II. |
 | Richard M. Nixon | United States | President of the United States (1969-1974) | 1942-1946 | Commander | Served in World War II. |
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tito Okello | Uganda | President of Uganda (1985–1986) | 1940–1971 1979–1986 | General | Served in World War II, the 1972 invasion of Uganda, Uganda–Tanzania War, and the Ugandan Bush War. | |
| Bazilio Olara-Okello | Uganda | President of Uganda (1985) | 1950–1971 1979–1986 | Lieutenant-General | Served in the 1972 invasion of Uganda, Uganda–Tanzania War, and Ugandan Bush War. | |
 | Petteri Orpo | Finland | Prime Minister of Finland (2023-) | Reserve Captain | ||
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Olof Palme | Sweden | Prime Minister of Sweden (1969-1976, 1982-1986) | Reserve Captain | ||
 | Petr Pavel | Czech Republic | President of the Czech Republic (2023–present) | 1983–2018 | General | Served in United Nations Protection Force during which he led a military operation which save over 50 French soldiers. |
 | Józef Piłsudski | Poland | Prime Minister of Poland (1926-1928) Chief of State (1918–1922) | 1914–1935 | Marshal of Poland | Commander of Polish Legions in World War I. |
 | Augusto Pinochet |  Chile | President of Chile (1974–1990) President of the Government Junta of Chile (1973–1981) | 1931–1998 | Captain General | |
 | Vladimir Putin | Russia | President of Russia (1999-2008; 2012-current) Prime Minister of Russia (2008-2012) | 2000–present | Colonel (KGB) | |
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abdul Qadir |  Democratic Republic of Afghanistan | Head of state of Afghanistan (1978) | Colonel-General | 1962–1989 | Served in the Soviet–Afghan War. | |
 | Abd al-Karim Qasim |  Iraq | Prime Minister of Iraq (1958–1963) | 1932–1963 | Major-General | Served in World War II. |
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Burhanuddin Rabbani | Afghan mujahideen | President of Afghanistan (1992–2001) | 1979–1992 | Served in the Soviet–Afghan War. | |
 | Yitzhak Rabin | Israel | Prime Minister of Israel (1974–1977, 1992–1995) | 1948–1974 | Lieutenant-General | Served in the Syria–Lebanon campaign, Jewish insurgency in Mandatory Palestine, 1948 Palestine war, and Six-Day War. |
 | Rumen Radev |  Bulgaria | President of Bulgaria (2017-current) | 1987–2017 | Major general | |
 | Ronald Reagan | United States | President of the United States (1981–1989) | 1942–1945 | Captain | Served on American Theater of World War II. |
 | Theodore Roosevelt | United States | President of the United States (1901–1909) | 1882–1886 | Colonel | Served in Spanish–American War. |
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Sa Zhenbing | Qing Dynasty Republic of China | Premier of the Republic of China (1920) | 1869–1946 | Admiral | Served in the National Protection War. |
| San Yu | Myanmar | President of Burma (1981–1988) | General | 1942–1980 | ||
| Saw Maung | Myanmar | Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (1988–1992) Prime Minister of Burma (1988–1992) | Senior General | 1945–1992 | ||
 | Walter Scheel | West Germany | President of West Germany (1974–1979) | 1939–1945 | First Lieutenant | Served as combat pilot during World War II. [3] |
| Sein Lwin | Myanmar | Prime Minister of Burma (1974–1977) | 1943–1988 | Brigadier-General | ||
| Sein Win | Empire of Japan Myanmar | Prime Minister of Burma (1974–1977) | 1942–1972 | Brigadier-General | Served in World War II. | |
 | Ariel Sharon | Israel | Prime Minister of Israel (2001–2006) | 1948–1974 | Major-General | Served in the 1948 Palestine war, Suez Crisis, Six-Day War, and Yom Kippur War. |
 | Mehmet Shehu | People's Socialist Republic of Albania | Prime Minister of Albania (1954–1981) | 1936–1939 1942–1948 | General | Served in the Spanish Civil War, Albanian partisan leader during World War II. |
 | Juha Sipilä | Prime Minister of Finland (2015-2019) | Reserve Captain | |||
 | Sao Shwe Thaik | United Kingdom | President of Burma (1948–1952) | Served in World War I. | ||
 | Soe Win | Myanmar | Prime Minister of Myanmar (2004–2007) | General | 1965–2007 | |
 | Ludvík Svoboda | Czechoslovakia | President of Czechoslovakia (1968–1975) | 1915–1950 | General | Served in World War I and Commanded Czechoslovak units on Eastern front during World War II. |
 | Jan Syrový | Czechoslovakia | Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia (1938) | 1914-1938 | General | Served in World War I and commanded Czechoslovak Legion in Russia. |
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Than Shwe | Myanmar | Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (1992–2011) Prime Minister of Myanmar (1992–2003) | Senior General | ||
 | Thein Sein | Myanmar | President of Myanmar (2011–2016) Prime Minister of Myanmar (2007–2010) First Secretary of the State Peace and Development Council (2004–2007) | Senior General | ||
 | Tin Aung Myint Oo | Myanmar | First Secretary of the State Peace and Development Council (2007–2010) | General | ||
 | Josip Broz Tito |  Austria-Hungary Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia | President of Yugoslavia (1953–1980) Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (1944–1963) | 1913–1915 1918–1920 1941–1980 | Marshal (as president) | Served in World War I and the Russian Civil War, led the Yugoslav partisans during World War II. |
 | Harry S. Truman | United States | President of the United States (1945–1953) | 1917–1919 | Colonel | Served in World War I. |
 | Franjo Tuđman | Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Croatia | President of Croatia (1990–1999) | 1942–1961 1995–1999 | Served in the Yugoslav partisans during World War II, led Croatian forces during the Croatian War of Independence. | |
| Tun Tin | Myanmar | Prime Minister of Burma (1988) | Brigadier-General | |||
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | George Washington | United States | President of the United States (1789–1797) | 1752–1799 | General of the Armies | |
 | Wang Jingwei | Republic of China | President of the Republic of China (Reorganized National Government, 1940–1944) Premier of the Republic of China (1932–1935) | 1940–1944 | Generalissimo | Led collaborationist Chinese forces during World War II. |
 | Ezer Weizmann | United Kingdom Israel | President of Israel (1993–2000) | 1942–1945 1946–1969 | Major-General | Served in World War II, the 1948 Palestine War, Suez Crisis, Six-Day War, and War of Attrition. |
 | Richard von Weizsäcker | Germany | President of Germany (1984–1994) | 1938–1945 | Captain | Served in World War II. [4] |
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Yang Shangkun | Communist China | President of the People's Republic of China (1988–1993) | 1931–1949 | Served in Communist Chinese forces during the Chinese Civil War and World War II. | |
 | Ye Jianying | Republic of China Communist China China | Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (1978–1983) | 1917–1985 | Lieutenant-General (Republic of China) Marshal (People's Republic of China) | Served in Communist Chinese forces during the Chinese Civil War and World War II. Also participated in the Nanchang uprising. |
 | Yuan Shikai | Qing Dynasty Republic of China | Emperor of China (1915–1916) President of the Republic of China (1912–1915, 1916) Prime Minister of the Qing Dynasty (1911–1912) | 1881–1916 | Generalissimo | Served in the First Sino-Japanese War and National Protection War. |
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Antonín Zápotocký | Czechoslovakia | President of Czechoslovakia (1953–1957) Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia (1948–1953) | 1914–1918 | Served in World War I. [5] | |
 | Zhang Shaozeng | Qing Dynasty Republic of China | Premier of the Republic of China (1923) | |||
 | Zhang Zuolin | Qing Dynasty Republic of China | Generalissimo of the Military Government of China (1927–1928) | 1900–1928 | Grand Marshal Generalissimo | Served in the First Sino-Japanese War, Boxer Rebellion, Warlord Era, and Northern Expedition. |
 | Zhao Ziyang | Communist China China | General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (1987–1989) Premier of the People's Republic of China (1980–1987) | Served in Communist Chinese forces during the Chinese Civil War and World War II. | ||
 | Zhou Enlai | Republic of China Communist China China | Premier of the People's Republic of China (1949–1976) | 1937–1949 | Lieutenant general (Republic of China) | Served in Communist Chinese forces during the Chinese Civil War and World War II. Also served in the Northern Expedition, encirclement campaigns, and Nanchang uprising. |
 | Zhou Ziqi | Qing Dynasty Republic of China | President of the Republic of China (1922) | |||
 | Zhu De | Republic of China Communist China China | Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (1975–1976) | 1927–1976 | General (Republic of China) Marshal (People's Republic of China) | Served in Communist Chinese forces during the Chinese Civil War and World War II. Also served in the Northern Expedition and encirclement campaigns. |
This list includes leaders of countries that were or are self-proclaimed as independent, but were or are neither members nor observers of the United Nations.
| Portrait | Name | Countries | Official position | Service | Rank in military | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hibatullah Akhundzada |  Taliban | Supreme Leader of Afghanistan (2016–present) | until 1992 1996–2001 | Leader of the Taliban. Served during the Soviet–Afghan War, Afghan Civil War (1996–2001), and War in Afghanistan (2001–2021). | ||
 | Anatoly Bibilov | Soviet Union South Ossetia Russia | President of South Ossetia (2017–2022) | Lieutenant-General | 1988–2008 | |
 | Valery Bolotov | Soviet Union Luhansk People's Republic | Head of the Luhansk People's Republic (2014) | Senior Sergeant | 1988–1990 2014–2017 | |
 | Agim Çeku | Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Croatia Kosovo | Prime Minister of Kosovo (2006–2008) | before 1991–1999 1999–2001 | Served during the Croatian War of Independence and in the Kosovo Liberation Army during the Kosovo War. | |
 | Chen Cheng | Republic of China Taiwan | Premier of Taiwan (1950–1954, 1958–1963) | General | 1924–1950 | Served during the Northern Expedition, Chinese Civil War, and World War II. |
 | Chiang Ching-kuo | Republic of China Taiwan | President of Taiwan (1978–1988) Premier of Taiwan (1972–1978) | General | 1937–1968 | |
 | Dzhokhar Dudayev | Soviet Union Chechen Republic of Ichkeria | President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (1991–1996) | Major-General | 1962–1990 1991–1996 | Served in the Soviet–Afghan War and First Chechen War. |
 | Ramush Haradinaj | Kosovo | Prime Minister of Kosovo (2004–2005, 2017–2020) | 1996–2000 | Served in the Kosovo Liberation Army. | |
 | Hau Pei-tsun | Republic of China Taiwan | Premier of Taiwan (1990–1993) | Senior General | 1938–1989 | Served during the Chinese Civil War, World War II, and the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis. |
 | Vadim Krasnoselsky |  Transnistria | President of Transnistria (2016–present) | Major-General | 1988–2012 | |
 | Lee Teng-hui | Empire of Japan | President of Taiwan (1988–2000) | Second Lieutenant | 1944–1945 | Served in World War II. |
 | Ma Ying-jeou | Taiwan | President of Taiwan (2008–2016) | Lieutenant | 1972–1974 | |
 | Aslan Maskhadov | Soviet Union Chechen Republic of Ichkeria | President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (1997–2005) | Colonel (Soviet Union) | 1972–1992 1992–2005 | Served in the First Chechen War and Second Chechen War. |
| Mullah Omar | Afghan mujahideen Taliban | Supreme Leader of Afghanistan (1996–2005) | 1979–1991 1994–2013 | Founder and leader of the Taliban. Served during the Soviet–Afghan War and Afghan Civil War (1992–1996). | ||
 | Igor Plotnitsky | Soviet Union Luhansk People's Republic | Head of the Luhansk People's Republic (2014–2017) | Major | 1982–1991 2014 | |
| Mohammad Rabbani | Afghan mujahideen Taliban | Prime Minister of Afghanistan (1996–2001) | 1979–1991 | Served during the Soviet–Afghan War. | ||
 | Bajram Rexhepi | Kosovo | Prime Minister of Kosovo (2002–2004) | 1999 | Served in the Kosovo Liberation Army during the Kosovo War. | |
 | Tang Fei | Republic of China Taiwan | Premier of Taiwan (2000) | Senior General | 1944–1999 | Served during the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis. |
 | Hashim Thaçi | Kosovo | President of Kosovo (2016–2020) Prime Minister of Kosovo (1999–2000, 2008–2014) | 1993–1999 | Served in the Kosovo Liberation Army during the Kosovo War. | |
 | Yan Xishan | Republic of China Taiwan | Premier of Taiwan (1949–1950) | General | 1911–1949 | Served during the Northern Expedition, Central Plains War, Chinese Civil War, and World War II. |
 | Alexander Zakharchenko |  Donetsk People's Republic | Head of the Donetsk People's Republic (2014–2018) | Major-General | 2014–2018 |
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The Czech Republic has a hilly landscape that covers an area of 78,871 square kilometers (30,452 sq mi) with a mostly temperate continental and oceanic climate. The capital and largest city is Prague; other major cities and urban areas include Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň and Liberec.
The Czech Armed Forces, also known as the Czech Army, is the military service responsible for the defence of the Czech Republic as part of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic alongside the Military Office of the President of the Republic and the Castle Guard. The army consists of the General Staff, the Land Forces, the Air Force and support units.
The Czech Republic is a Central European country, a member of the European Union, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the United Nations. It entertains diplomatic relations with 191 countries of the world, around half of which maintain a resident embassy in the Czech capital city, Prague.
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.4 million people. The city has a temperate oceanic climate, with relatively warm summers and chilly winters.
Demographic features of the population of the Czech Republic include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations.
The Czechs, or the Czech people, are a West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common ancestry, culture, history, and the Czech language.
Terezín is a town in Litoměřice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,800 inhabitants. It is a former military fortress composed of the citadel and adjacent walled garrison town. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation. Terezin is most infamously the location of the Nazis' notorious Theresienstadt Ghetto.
Reinhard Heydrich, the commander of the German Reich Security Main Office (RSHA), the acting governor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and a principal architect of the Holocaust, was assassinated during the Second World War in a coordinated operation by the Czechoslovak resistance. The assassination attempt, code-named Operation Anthropoid, was carried out by resistance operatives Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš on 27 May 1942. Heydrich was wounded in the attack and died of his injuries on 4 June.
Miloš Zeman is a Czech politician who served as the third president of the Czech Republic from 2013 to 2023. He also previously served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic from 1998 to 2002. As leader of the Czech Social Democratic Party from 1993 to 2001, he is credited with the revival of the party into one of the country's major political forces. Zeman briefly served as the President of the Chamber of Deputies from 1996 to 1998.
Emanuel Moravec was a Czech army officer and writer who served as the collaborationist Minister of Education of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia between 1942 and 1945. He was also chair of the Board of Trustees for the Education of Youth, a fascist youth organisation in the protectorate.
The Czech Republic's official long and short names at the United Nations are Česká republika and Česko in Czech, and the Czech Republic and Czechia in English. All these names derive from the name of the Czechs, the West Slavic ethnolinguistic group native to the Czech Republic. Czechia, the official English short name specified by the Czech government, is used by many international organisations.
The Czech Air Force is the air force branch of the Army of the Czech Republic. Along with the Land Forces, the Air Force is the major Czech military force. With traditions of military aviation dating back to 1918, the Czech Air Force, together with the Slovak Air Force, succeeded the Czechoslovak Air Force in 1993. On 1 July 1997, the 3rd Tactical Aviation Corps and the 4th Air Defence Corps of the Czech Army were merged to form an independent Air Force Headquarters.
Mirek Topolánek is a Czech politician and business manager who served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic from 2006 to 2009 and the leader of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) from 2002 to 2010. Between 2006 and 2009, Topolánek was the member of the Chamber of Deputies (MP) and senator from Ostrava from 1996 until 2004. After leaving the politics in 2010, Topolánek has been active in the electric power industry as a vocal lobbyist for the fossil fuel industry.
The Czech and Slovak Legion, also known as the Czechoslovak Legion, was a military unit formed in the Second Polish Republic after Germany occupied Czechoslovakia in March 1939. The unit took symbolic part in the defence of Poland during the German invasion on 1 September 1939.
Czech Republic–Russia relations are the bilateral foreign relations between the Czech Republic and the Russian Federation. Relations have substantially deteriorated in recent years due to events such as the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russian sabotage of Czech ammunition depot in Vrbětice in 2014, poisoning of Sergei Skripal in 2018 and Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
NATO is an international military alliance consisting of 32 member states from Europe and North America. It was established at the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949. Article 5 of the treaty states that if an armed attack occurs against one of the member states, it shall be considered an attack against all members, and other members shall assist the attacked member, with armed forces if necessary. Article 6 of the treaty limits the scope of Article 5 to the islands north of the Tropic of Cancer, the North American and European mainlands, the entirety of Turkey, and French Algeria, the last of which has been moot since July 1962. Thus, an attack on Hawaii, Puerto Rico, French Guiana, the Falkland Islands, Ceuta or Melilla, among other places, would not trigger an Article 5 response.
Andrej Babiš is a Czech politician and entrepreneur who served as the prime minister of the Czech Republic from 2017 to 2021. He previously served as the Minister of Finance and deputy prime minister from 2014 to 2017. Babiš has been the founding leader of the political party ANO 2011 since 2012.
Petr Pavel is a Czech politician and retired army general, currently serving as the president of the Czech Republic since March 2023. Prior to this, he held the position of Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 2015 to 2018, and served as the Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces between 2012 and 2015.
The COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first three confirmed cases in the Czech Republic were reported on 1 March 2020. On 12 March, the government declared a state of emergency, for the first time in the country's modern history for the area of the entire country. On 16 March, the country closed its borders, forbade the entry of foreigners without residence permits, and issued a nationwide curfew. While originally planned to be in effect until 24 March, the measures were later extended until 1 April and then again until the end of State of Emergency which was extended by the Chamber of Deputies until 30 April 2020 and then again until 17 May 2020.
Jan Lipavský is a Czech politician and information technology manager who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic since December 2021, in the Cabinet of Petr Fiala. A member of the Czech Pirate Party, he was previously a member of the Chamber of Deputies from October 2017 to October 2021.