Chief of Staff and Head of Mission
Major General Juha Kilpiä
Major General Juha Kilpiä Finnish Officer who was appointed as the Chief of Staff and Head of Mission (COS/HOM) of UNTSO on the 1st of May 2011 by the UN Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki Moon.
Since his military career began as a soldier and after attending military academy in 1974, Major General Kilpiä has had an extensive and impressive background with appointments at various levels both within Finland and abroad. Some of these appointments within Finland include Commander of Central Finland Engineer Battalion, Commandant of the UN Training Centre and Chief of Staff Army Command Finland.
Major General Kilpiä also has extensive experience on an international level. This includes attending the US Army Rangers Course, UNDOF and UNIFIL in the Finnish Battalion, Commander Multinational Task Force (EUFOR) and as the Military Representative of Finland to the EU and NATO.
Major General Kilpiä has also been awarded numerous decorations in his long career. These include Commander of the Order of the White Rose of Finland, Order of the Cross of Liberty Knight First Class, Order of the Lion of Finland, UN Medal UNDOF and UNIFIL and the NATO Medal.
Major General Kilpiä is married to Mirja and they have a daughter, Noora.