Esa Pulkkinen

Esa Ilmari Pulkkinen (born 6 July 1957 in Kalvola) is a Finnish military officer. He is a Lieutenant General serving as the Director General of the European Union's (EU) Military Staff (EUMS).

Early life
Esa Pulkkinen was born in Southern Finland in 1957. He graduated from the National Defence University in 1980 and completed his master's degree in 1985. He graduated from the Department of Public Safety at the Military Academy in 1987–1989 and studied as a postgraduate student in security at the University of Geneva in 1995–1996. After returning to Finland, he completed a course for senior officers in 1997 and a senior military training course in 2005. He studied at Harvard University in the United States in 2004.

Pulkkinen and his wife Hanna have two children.

Military career
Pulkkinen served as a platoon leader, head of the Armoured Officer Course and company commander in the Armoured Brigade at Parolanummi from 1980–1987. After that, he served as Commander of the Army of the East Uusimaa Military District in Tuusula until 1990. Between 1990 and 1993, he served as the Chief of Staff of the Infantry Department of the General Staff and from 1993 to 1995 as Chief of Staff at the Operational Section. From 1996 to 1997 he worked as a tactic at the Military Science School. From 1997 to 1999, he served as Senior Officer at the Ministry of Defense's Defense Policy Department. Between 1999 and 2000 he served as Director of the Armoured Forces in Parola before receiving a post as a national expert in Brussels to the EU's Temporary Military Staff for the period from 10 April to 30 November 2000. Thereafter, he served as Head of the Planning Department of the EU Military Staff Management Department until the end of July 2003.

After returning to Finland, he took his command to Jaeger Brigade (Jääkäriprikaati) in Sodankylä until the end of January 2006. When Finland received the EU Presidency, in turn, Pulkkinen was invited to the Defence Policy Department of the Ministry of Defence to chair the working party of the Presidency. From the beginning of 2007 until the end of August 2008, Pulkkinen served as Deputy Director of the Defence Command Planning Department, after which he was again assigned to the EU Military Staff in Brussels as Director of Operations. On January 1, 2011, he returned to Finland as Director General of the Defence Policy Department of the Ministry of Defence, where he served as a five-year term between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2015. Pulkkinen was also appointed Head of the Defense Policy Department for another five-year period from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020. He is on leave from February 1, 2016 until May 5, 2019.

In May 2016 Pulkkinen became the Head of the EU Military Staff. The election of the Military Staff Commander was carried out by the Armed Forces Commanders of the EU Member States.

On 8 June 2017, the Council decided to set up a Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) within the Military Staff. According to the Council Decision, the Head of the EU Military Staff also serves as the MPCC leader, so Pulkkinen began to lead the MPCC from 8 June 2017.