Brigadier General Vello Loemaa

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

 

Brigadier General Vello Loemaa was appointed as the Defence   Attaché on 1, April 2005 and from the 1st of August had   a position of Defense, Military, Naval and Air Attaché   to USA and Canada.

 

His last assignement was an Operational Commander, Estonian Defence Forces on 1, March 2003.

Brigadier General Loemaa`s previous assignment was as Estonian Military Representative to NATO from February 1998 to November 2002. He also served as the Head of Military Delegation to the EU.

He served on the position of the Commander of the Estonian Air Force from February 1994 to February 1998 in the rank of Colonel. In this period he has had temporary appointments, as an acting Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces (December 1995 – January 1996) and an acting Chief of General Staff (November 1995 – February 1997).

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.

Brigadier General Loemaa`s military career began 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). 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, mostly in the ground-attack role.

Brigadier General Loemaa 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.

During the recent years he has attended number of courses abroad. The most significant of them has been the Senior Course 89 of the NATO Defence College.

He is married to Mrs. Ludmilla Loemaa and they have son Roman and daughter Jana.