The Finnish government has appointed Janne Kuusela as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Finland, effective from 1 January 2026. Kuusela will thereby succeed Esa Pulkkinen.
The Permanent Secretary is the highest-ranking official at the ministry and is responsible for assisting the minister in leading operations, coordinating strategic planning, and overseeing internal control.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Defence Finland, Kuusela has been the head of the ministry's Defence Policy Department since 2022. He also held the same position from 2016 to 2020 and was Deputy Head of Department from 2020 to 2021.
Kuusela has worked at the Ministry of Defence Finland since 1999 in various roles, including Director of the Corporate Governance Unit, Advisory Official, and Special Researcher. From 2006 to 2009, he was stationed as a Special Adviser in Defence Policy at Finland's NATO representation in Brussels.