Defence, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee of the Latvian parliament decided to approve Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs’ proposal for Brigade General Kaspars Pudāns as the candidate to become the next Commander of the National Armed Forces (NBS).
Parties of the ruling coalition previously promised Pudāns their unanimous support.
The President was the one who nominated Pudāns for this post.
Pudāns emphasized the need to develop the already existing NBS resources for the promotion of defence capabilities. Pudāns pointed out that, in general, he knows what needs to be done in the position to make the country’s armed forces even stronger.
Pudāns has been serving in the NBS since 1994 and as the Commander of the National Guard since last year. He received his military education at the Latvian National Defence Academy, the Baltic Defence College in Estonia, the Military Academy in France. He has a Bachelor’s degree in law and a master’s degree in Comprehensive Quality Management.
Pudāns has more than 20 years of service experience in the NBS, serving in the Land Force, the National Guard, the Joint Headquarters of the NBS. He has gained international service experience in the international operation in Afghanistan, as well as serving as a military representative in the military representation in NATO/EU Brussels.
According to the Law on the National Armed Forces, the Saeima approves the Commander of NBS for a four-year term and releases him from office on the proposal of the President of the State.