There are three or four realistic candidates for Latvia's next chief of defense - president

RIGA - There are three or four candidates for the post of Commander of the National Armed Forces (NAF), President of Latvia Edgars Rinkevics said Monday in an interview with TV3 channel.

Current NAF Commander Leonids Kalnins' term in office expires at the beginning of next year. Rinkevics has already discussed the selection of the next chief of defense with Defense Minister Andris Spruds (Progressives), but talks with the current chief of defense and a decision by the National Security Council are still to follow. Rinkevics also plans to meet with the candidates themselves.

Although theoretically there are ten potential candidates with the necessary military rank, "in reality we are talking about three to four candidates", said Rinkevics.

The current NAF Commander, 67-year-old Lieutenant General Leonid Kalnins, is due to leave office in January 2025. The law stipulates that the maximum age for senior officers in professional service is 65 years, and in the NAF reserve - 70 years. The NAF Commander is confirmed for a four-year term and dismissed by the Saeima at the president's proposal.

According to information obtained by LETA, the highest officer ranks in the Latvian military are lieutenant general, major general and brigadier general.

Currently, there are ten senior officers that could become potential candidates for the post of NAF Commander. They are Brigadier General Kaspars Pudans, Commander of the National Guard; Brigadier General Ilmars Lejins, Senior Staff Officer at NATO Headquarters in Brussels; Admiral Ingus Vizulis, former Commander of the Navy (rank equivalent to Brigadier General); Major General Imants Ziedins, Undersecretary of State for Capability and Resource Planning at the Ministry of Defense; and Brigadier General Egils Lescinskis, Deputy Chief of the NAF Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Other senior army officers include former Chief of the NAF Joint Staff, Major General Andis Dilans, who has now been reassigned to the post of Undersecretary of State for Provisions at the Defense Ministry. As of August 1, Brigadier General Georgs Kerlins is due to take over as Chief of the Joint Staff of the National Armed Forces as of August 1. 

The highest officer ranks are also held by another Deputy Chief of the NAF Joint Staff, Brigadier General Kaspars Zdanovskis, the Latvian Military Representative to NATO and the European Union, Major General Ivo Mogilnijs, and the Deputy Commander of the NATO Multinational Division Headquarters North, Brigadier General Ainars Ozolins.