Retiring commander Timo Kivinen described his ending command period as full of phases, but estimated that the Finnish Defense Forces coped well with it. He estimates that the international security situation could deteriorate even further.
General Staff yard in Helsinki on Maundy Thursday, a ceremony was held to hand over the flag of the commander of the Finnish Defense Forces. The outgoing commander, General Timo Kivinen handed over the commander's flag to the incoming commander, Lt.-Gen To Janne Jaakkola.
In addition to other personnel from the General Staff and the General Staff, the commander of the Swedish Defense Forces, General Micael Bydén. For the first time, during the change of command, in addition to the Finnish and EU flags, the NATO flag also flew in the halls.
President Sauli Niinistö appointed Jaakkola, who has been the Chief of Staff's strategy manager since 2023, as the next commander in January. Jaakkola will start his duties at the beginning of April, i.e. on the second day of Easter, when Kivinen, on the other hand, will be transferred to the reserve.
Jaakkola's term of office continues until the end of March 2029.
The ticket exchange ceremony in a short press conference held after, Kivinen described his command period, which included the corona pandemic, the Russian war of aggression and Finland's accession to NATO, as full of phases.
“The competent and motivated personnel of the Defense Forces have been able to operate in all these different phases in a way that has been able to handle our own mission and provide security for Finns,” Kivinen said.
He does not see any immediate relief in the way of the development of the general security situation in Europe and the world.
“This will probably get even more difficult before it gets better,” Kivinen predicted.
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