Heikkinen, Aki Juhani
Brigadier General
Position
Assistant Chief of Staff, Operations, Defence Command
Date and place of birth
25 November 1973, Oulu
Family
Married, one child
Education
Matriculation examination, Kiiminki High School 1992
National Defence University, Officer’s Degree, 1997
Flight Instructor Course, Air Force Academy, 1998
General Staff Officer Course, National Defence University 2009
Master of Strategic Studies, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, USA, 2018
High Command Course, Defence Command, 2021
National Defence Course 2022
Career
Military service, Air Warfare School, Kauhava, 1992-1993
Pilot Reserve Officer Course 67, 1993
Cadet Course 80, 1993 - 1997
Officer Pilot, Fighter Squadron 21, Satakunta Air Command 1997 - 2004
Flight Commander, Fighter Squadron 21, Satakunta Air Command 2004 - 2008
Flight Safety Officer, Satakunta Air Command 2008 - 2009
Chief of Section, Air Force Command Finland 2010 - 2012
Head Instructor of Air Warfare, National Defence University 2012 - 2013
Squadron Commander, Fighter Squadron 11, Lapland Air Command 2013 ─ 2015
Assistant Chief of Staff, Air Force Operations, Air Force Command Finland 2018 - 2019
Commander of Satakunta Air Command 2019 - 2021
Chief of the F-35 Liaison Office, United States, 2022 - 2024
Assistant Chief of Staff, Operations, Defence Command 2024 -
Promotions
Lieutenant, 01 May 1995
First Lieutenant, 04 June 1997
Captain, 04 June 2002
Major, 04 June 2009
Lieutenant Colonel, 04 June 2012
Colonel, 04 June 2018
Brigadier General, 01 November 2024
Decorations
Medal for Military Merits, 30 May 2008
Highest Achiever, Air Warfare Programme, General Staff Officer Course 56, 2009
Knight, First Class, of the Order of the White Rose of Finland, 04 June 2013
Teacher of the Year Prize, National Defence University, 2013
Adolf Ehrnrooth Foundation Award of Recognition, 13 February 2014
Gold Medal of Merit of the Reserve Officers Association, 06 December 2021
Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland, 04 June 2024
Languages
Finnish, English, Swedish