Major General  Vello Loemaa

Major General Vello Loemaa was born on January 18, 1951 and grew up in Paide, Estonia.

He graduated cum laude from High Military Flight School (Academy) in Yeisk (Russia) in 1973. He is a 1982 graduated cum laude of the Air Force Academy, Monino (Russia) where he graduated first in his class. He also completed Senior Course 89 of the NATO Defence College, 1996‑1997.

Major General Loemaa started his military career in 1973 with his first appointment as a pilot in fighter-bomber regiment, Ukraine. Later he passed command positions at every level from flight leader to deputy commander of the air force division (Caucasus area) in 1989. A year before becoming a regiment commander he was promoted to the rank of Colonel. After the independence of the Estonian Republic was regained in 1991, he resigned from the Soviet Air Forces in 1992 with over 2100 flying hours.

He started service in the newly created Estonian Defence Forces as a staff officer, chief of department of the General Staff of the Estonian Defence Forces in July 1992. He served on the position of the Commander of the Estonian Air Force from February 1994 to February 1998. Within this period he also held temporary appointments as an acting Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces (December 1995 – January 1996) and acting Chief of General Staff (November 1995 – February 1997).

His first assignment abroad was the position of Estonian Military Representative to NATO from February 1998 to November 2002 when Estonia was invited to join NATO. He also served as the Head of Military Delegation to the WEU and later to the EU.

In 2003 he took a post of Operational Commander of Estonian Defence Forces which started participation in OIF and ISAF as EDF new operations in addition to other contributions Estonia had already had.

Promoted to Brigadier General Vello Loemaa was appointed as the Defence Attaché in 2005 and from the 1st of August held a position of Defence, Military, Naval and Air Attaché to USA and Canada. In January 2008 he was appointed as Estonian Military Representative to the NATO and EU.

He is married to Mrs Ludmilla Loemaa. They have a son and a daughter both of whom have already started their professional lives.