Major General Mate Pađen
Military Representative – Croatia
2015
MG Mate Pađen was born on September 24, 1962 in Ogulin, Republic of Croatia. He was promoted to the rank of Major General on March 29, 2013.
Major General Mate Pađen joined the Croatian Armed Forces (CAF) On June 31, 1991. From September 1, 1991, he was a member of 143rd Brigade, where he was first Artillery Battalion Commander and later became Brigade Commander from November 1993.
After the end of the Homeland War, he graduated form the Command and General Staff College "Blago Zadro" and completed the Staff Officer education through the MPRI program. He also completed the Military-Diplomacy Course of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Croatia and English language courses both in Croatia and United States.
He also successfully completed education abroad at the National Defense University, Washington D.C. United States where he earned Master degree in Resource Strategy, "George C. Marshall Center" in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany) and NATO Defense College in Rome.
During his career, MG Pađen has carried out several senior duties, mostly in the field of defense policy and international military cooperation, including Head of Section in the Office for Defense Attachés and Protocol, Head of Section for Implementation of MPRI Program, Chief of the Defense Policy Directorate, Deputy Chief/Chief of Military Strategy and Defense Planning Directorate in General Staff, Chief of the Defense Planning and International Military Cooperation Directorate in General Staff and Defense Attaché of the Republic of Croatia to the United States of America and Canada.
On October 1, 2012, he was appointed Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces for Operations and from June 1, 2014 as a Director of General Staff CAF.
Major General Mate Pađen assumed his position as a Military Representative to NATO and EU on March 1, 2015.
He carries numerous decorations and medals, including Homeland War Commemorative Decoration, Commemorative Decorations for 5 and 10 years of distinguished service, Order of the Croatian Braid, Order of the Croatian Trefoil, Order of Vice-Roy Jelačić, Order of Duke Branimir and medals "Storm" and "Daring Feat".