Jaakkola made NATO Assistant Secretary General

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has appointed Tarja Jaakkola, Director-General of the Resource Policy Department of Finland's Ministry of Defence, to serve as Assistant Secretary General for Defence Investment as of 2 September 2024, said the Ministry of Defence in a press release on Thursday.

In her role, Jaakkola will lead the Defence Investment Division responsible for facilitating the development of NATO and Allied material capabilities, including air and missile defence.

She will also chair the Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD).

"I am very pleased with being appointed to such a responsible and demanding position. The current security situation highlights the importance of defence materiel, defence industry and Allied cooperation in NATO's deterrence and defence," Jaakkola said.

NATO has eight Assistant Secretary Generals working under the Secretary General.

Jaakkola is the first Finn to be appointed Assistant Secretary General.

"Jaakkola's appointment is great news for both Finland and NATO. Finland has expertise and experience to offer for prominent positions," said Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen.

Born in 1964, Tarja Jaakkola has served as Director-General of the Resource Policy Department of the Ministry of Defence since 2022.

She has also held other positions at the Ministry, including Director of the Material Unit and Senior Ministerial Adviser, and has served as Assistant Director and Head of Unit at the European Defence Agency (EDA) in Brussels.