Chief of the General Staff (Yugoslavia)
The Chief of the General Staff of Yugoslavia (Serbo-Croatian: Начелник Генералштаба, romanized: Načelnik Generalštaba; Slovene: Načelnik Generalštaba; Macedonian: Началник на Генералштабот) refers of the chief of the General Staff of the Royal Yugoslav Army from 1918 to 1941, the Yugoslav People's Army from 1945 to 1992 and the Armed Forces of Serbia and Montenegro (officially named the Armed Forces of Yugoslavia between 1992 and 2003) from 1992 to 2006.
List of chiefs of the general staff[]
† denotes people who died in office.
Royal Yugoslav Army (1918–1920)[]
No. | Portrait | Chief of Staff of the Supreme Command | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Vojvoda Živojin Mišić (1855–1921) [a] | 1 December 1918 | 5 May 1920 | 1 year, 156 days | ![]() |
Royal Yugoslav Armed Forces (1920–1941)[]
No. | Portrait | Chief of the General Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Vojvoda Živojin Mišić (1855–1921) | 5 May 1920 | 20 January 1921 † | 260 days | ![]() | |
– | Petar Pešić (1871–1944) Acting | General21 January 1921 | 10 March 1921 | 48 days | ![]() | |
2 | Petar Bojović (1858–1945) | Vojvoda10 March 1921 | 8 December 1921 | 273 days | ![]() | |
3 | Petar Pešić (1871–1944) | General8 December 1921 | 4 November 1922 | 331 days | ![]() | |
– | (when appointed) Divisional general (since 1923) Milan Milovanović (1874–1942) Acting | General4 November 1922 | 30 July 1924 | 1 year, 269 days | ![]() | |
(3) | Army general Petar Pešić (1871–1944) | 30 July 1924 | 11 April 1929 | 4 years, 255 days | ![]() | |
4 | Milan Milovanović (1874–1942) | Army general11 April 1929 | 18 April 1934 | 5 years, 7 days | ![]() | |
– | Petar Kosić (1881–1949) Acting | Divisional general18 April 1934 | 1 June 1934 | 44 days | ![]() | |
5 | Milan Nedić (1877–1946) [b] | Army general1 June 1934 | 9 March 1935 | 281 days | ![]() | |
– | Petar Kosić (1881–1949) Acting | Divisional general10 March 1935 | 12 May 1935 | 63 days | ![]() | |
6 | (1878–1960) | Army general12 May 1935 | 8 March 1936 | 301 days | ![]() | |
– | Petar Kosić (1881–1949) Acting | Divisional general8 March 1936 | 6 September 1936 | 182 days | ![]() | |
– | Milutin Nedić (1882–1945) Acting [c] | Divisional general6 September 1936 | 6 September 1937 | 1 year | ![]() | |
7 | Milutin Nedić (1882–1945) [c] | Army general6 September 1937 | 25 August 1938 | 353 days | ![]() | |
– | Mihailo Bodi (1884–1953) Acting | Divisional general25 August 1938 | 15 September 1938 | 21 days | ![]() | |
8 | Dušan Simović (1882–1962) | Army general15 September 1938 | 3 January 1940 | 1 year, 110 days | ![]() | |
9 | Petar Kosić (1881–1949) [d] | Army general3 January 1940 | 27 March 1941 | 1 year, 83 days | ![]() | |
(8) | Dušan Simović (1882–1962) | Army general27 March 1941 | 14 April 1941 | 18 days | ![]() | |
– | Danilo Kalafatović (1875–1946) Acting | Army general15 April 1941 | 17 April 1941 | 2 days | ![]() |
Yugoslav Army outside the Homeland (1941–1942)[]
No. | Portrait | Chief of Staff of the Supreme Command | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1941 | 1942 | 0–1 years | JVvO |
Yugoslav Army in the Homeland (1942–1945)[]
No. | Portrait | Chief of Staff of the Supreme Command | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dragoljub Mihailović (1893–1946) | Army general1942 | 1944 | 1–2 years | ![]() | |
2 | Miodrag Damjanović (1893–1956) | Brigadier general1944 | 1945 | 0–1 years | ![]() |
National Liberation Army (1941–1945)[]
No. | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Defence branch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A | Marshal of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito (1892–1980) Commander of the Supreme Headquarters and Commander-in-Chief | 27 June 1941 | 1 March 1945 | 3 years, 247 days | SKJ | ![]() | |
N/A | Lt. Col. General Arso Jovanović (1907–1948) Chief of the Supreme Headquarters | 12 December 1941 | 1 March 1945 | 3 years, 79 days | SKJ | ![]() |
Yugoslav People's Army (1945–1992)[]
The Chief of the General Staff (Serbo-Croatian: Načelnik Generalštaba - NGŠ; Начелник Генералштаба - НГШ; Macedonian: Началник на Генералштабот; Slovene: Načelnik Generalštaba) was the chief of staff of the of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) during its existence from 1945 to 1992. He was appointed by the President (after 1980 Presidency) of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, who was the commander-in-chief. While the Federal Secretary of People's Defence (defence minister) headed the (Savezni sekretarijat za narodnu odbranu - SSNO) and it was the most effective military person, the Chief of the General Staff (which was the formational part of SSNO) was the most professional and staff body.
No. | Portrait | Chief of the General Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Defence branch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Arso Jovanović (1907–1948) [e] | Colonel general1 March 1945 | 15 September 1945 | 198 days | SKJ | ![]() | |
2 | Koča Popović (1908–1992) [f] | Colonel general15 September 1945 | 27 January 1953 | 4 years, 134 days | SKJ | ![]() | |
3 | Peko Dapčević (1913–1999) | Colonel general27 January 1953 | 29 April 1955 | 2 years, 92 days | SKJ | ![]() | |
4 | (1915–1976) | Colonel general29 April 1955 | 16 June 1961 | 6 years, 48 days | SKJ | ![]() | |
5 | (1916–2009) | Colonel general16 June 1961 | 15 June 1967 | 5 years, 364 days | SKJ | ![]() | |
6 | (1918–2006) | Colonel general15 June 1967 | 5 January 1970 | 2 years, 204 days | SKJ | ![]() | |
7 | (1918–1972) | Colonel general5 January 1970 | 15 October 1972 † | 2 years, 284 days | SKJ | ![]() | |
8 | (1919–1997) | Colonel general15 October 1972 | 10 July 1979 | 6 years, 268 days | SKJ | ![]() | |
9 | Branko Mamula (1921–2021) [g] | Admiral10 July 1979 | 5 May 1982 | 2 years, 299 days | SKJ | ![]() | |
10 | Petar Gračanin (1923–2004) [h] | Colonel general5 May 1982 | 1 September 1985 | 3 years, 119 days | SKJ | ![]() | |
11 | Zorko Čanadi (1925–2003) | Colonel general1 September 1985 | 15 September 1987 | 2 years, 14 days | SKJ | ![]() | |
12 | Stevan Mirković (1927–2015) | Colonel general15 September 1987 | 29 September 1989 | 2 years, 14 days | SKJ | ![]() | |
13 | Blagoje Adžić (1932–2012) | Colonel general29 September 1989 | 27 February 1992 | 2 years, 151 days | SKJ | ![]() | |
14 | Života Panić (1933–2003) [i] | Colonel general27 February 1992 | 20 May 1992 | 83 days | Independent | ![]() |
Armed Forces of Yugoslavia / Serbia and Montenegro (1992–2006)[]
Following the breakup of Yugoslavia and the secession of four out of six constituent republic in the SFR Yugoslavia the remaining two (Serbia and Montenegro) established a federation in 1992 called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FR Yugoslavia). This lasted until 2003 when it was reconstituted as a state union called Serbia and Montenegro. In 2006 both countries declared independence and parted ways.
No. | Portrait | Chief of the General Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Života Panić (1933–2003) [j] | Colonel general20 May 1992 | 26 August 1993 | 1 year, 98 days | ![]() | |
2 | Momčilo Perišić (born 1944) | Colonel general26 August 1993 | 26 November 1998 | 5 years, 92 days | ![]() | |
3 | Dragoljub Ojdanić (1941–2020) [k] | Colonel general26 November 1998 | 7 February 2000 | 1 year, 73 days | ![]() | |
4 | Nebojša Pavković (born 1946) | Colonel general7 February 2000 | 24 June 2002 | 2 years, 137 days | ![]() | |
5 | Branko Krga (born 1945) [l] | Colonel general24 June 2002 | 23 December 2004 | 2 years, 182 days | ![]() | |
6 | Lt. Col. General Dragan Paskaš (born 1951) | 23 December 2004 | 6 October 2005 | 287 days | ![]() | |
7 | Ljubiša Jokić (born 1958) | Lt. Col. General6 October 2005 | 3 June 2006 | 240 days | ![]() |
See also[]
- Chiefs of Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia
- Chief of the General Staff (North Macedonia)
- Chief of the General Staff (Montenegro)
- Chief of the Serbian General Staff
- Chief of the General Staff (Slovenia)
Notes[]
- ^ Previously served as Chief of the Serbian General Staff.
- ^ Later served as the Prime Minister of the Government of National Salvation from 1941 to 1944.
- ^ a b Brother of Milan Nedić.
- ^ Removed from office in the Yugoslav coup d'état.
- ^ Killed by border guards while allegedly trying to escape to Romania during the Informbiro.
- ^ Afterwards served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1953 to 1965.
- ^ Afterwards served as the Minister of Defence from 1982 to 1988.
- ^ Later served as the President of the Presidency of SR Serbia from 1987 to 1989.
- ^ Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Yugoslavia from 20 May 1992.
- ^ Chief of the General Staff of the Yugoslav People's Army until 20 May 1992.
- ^ Afterwards served as the Minister of Defence in 2000.
- ^ Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Serbia and Montenegro since 7 March 2003.
Sources[]
- Chief of the General Staff: 1876–2000, Ivetić Velimir, Belgrade 2000.
- Military of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
- Military of SFR Yugoslavia
- Military of Serbia and Montenegro
- Lists of military personnel by country
- 1918 establishments in Yugoslavia
- 2006 disestablishments in Serbia and Montenegro