Mirko Šundov (born 15 January 1962) is a Croatian General who served as a Chief of

General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia () is the general staff of the Armed Forces of Croatia, a joint body organized within the Ministry of Defence. It is responsible for development, organization, and equipping, traini ...

from 2016 until 2020.

Early life and education

Mirko Šundov was born on 15 January 1962 in a small village of Bračević in municipality of Muć near

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, entertain ...

. He graduated defense in 1986 from the Faculty of Political Science of the

University of Sarajevo The University of Sarajevo ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a public university located in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the largest ...

. He gained his master's degree in 1999 in the field of Geo-sciences, branch Physical Geography, from the

Faculty of Science Faculty may refer to: * Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage) * Faculty (division), a division within a university (usage outside of the United States) * Faculty (instrument), an instrument or warra ...

of the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb ( hr, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, ; la, Universitas Studiorum Zagrabiensis) is the largest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of ...

. In 2001, Šundov graduated from the National War College "Ban Josip Jelačić". In 2007, he gained his PhD in the field of Geo-sciences, branch Physical Geography, from the

of the

Career

After graduation in 1986, Šundov started working as a Special Adviser in the Croatian Territorial Defense HQs in Split. During the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yu ...

(1991–1995), Šundov at first served as an Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations of the 4th Brigade of the National Guard (1991–1992), and later as its Commander (1992–1995). In 1995, Šundov become Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the Area Command Split. After the war, Šundov worked as Director of the Education Directorate CAF GS (1995–1996), Deputy Commander of the Area Command

Ston Ston () is a settlement and a municipality in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia, located at the south of isthmus of the Pelješac peninsula. History Because of its geopolitical and strategic position, Ston has had a rich history since ant ...

(1996–1998), Commander of the Area Command

Knin Knin (, sr, link=no, Книн, it, link=no, Tenin) is a city in the Šibenik-Knin County of Croatia, located in the Dalmatian hinterland near the source of the river Krka (Croatia), Krka, an important traffic junction on the rail and road route ...

(1998–2000), Commandant of the Training Command (2001–2003), Commandant of the War College "Ban Josip Jelačić" (2003) in which he also served as a lecturer on module "Military Strategy and Operations, Commandant of the Joint Education and Training Command "Petar Zrinski" (2003–2007), Commandant of the Croatian Defense Academy "Petar Zrinski" (2007–2011), Military Representative of Croatia to

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

and the EU (2011–2014), and Inspector General of Defense of Croatia (2014–2016). In 2016, President

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović (; born 29 April 1968) is a Croatian politician and diplomat who served as President of Croatia from 2015 to 2020. She was the first woman to be elected to the office since the first multi-party elections in 1990 and ...

and Prime Minister

Tihomir Orešković Tihomir "Tim" Orešković (; born 1 January 1966) is a Croatian Canadian businessman who was Prime Minister of Croatia from January to October 2016. Born in Zagreb, Orešković emigrated to Canada at a young age and spent most of his life there. ...

named him

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces ( militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff ( ...

Armed Forces of Croatia The Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia ( hr, Oružane snage Republike Hrvatske – OSRH) is the military service of Croatia. The President is the Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief, and exercises administrative powers in times of war by giv ...

Decorations

* Order of Duke Branimir with Neck Ribbon * Order of Nikola Šubić Zrinski * Order of Ban Jelačić * Order of the Croatian Trefoil * Order of the Croatian Interlace * Commemorative Medal of the Homeland's Gratitude for 5 years of honorable service * Commemorative Medal of the Homeland's Gratitude for 10 years of honorable service * Commemorative Medal of the Homeland's Gratitude for 15 years of honorable service *

Homeland War Memorial Medal The Homeland War Memorial ( hr, Spomenica Domovinskog rata) is a Croatian state medal awarded to both Croatian and foreign citizens who participated in the nation's Croatian War of Independence as a volunteer, part of the Croatian Army and Croa ...

* Medal for Participation in Operation Storm * Pistol, Commander of the 4th Brigade of the National Guard, 1992 * Commendation, President of the Republic of Croatia and Supreme Commander, 1992 and 1993

Personal life

Šundov is married to Marijana Šundov with whom he has two children, son Tomo and daughter Ivana. He speaks Croatian, English and Italian.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sundov, Mirko 1962 births Croatian army officers Military personnel of the Croatian War of Independence Living people Order of Duke Domagoj recipients University of Sarajevo alumni