Josip Lucić (born 26 April 1957) is a Croatian general and former chief of

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...

of the

Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia The Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia () are the national military forces of Croatia. The Croatian military consists of three service branches: the Croatian Army, the Croatian Navy and the Croatian Air Force. The OSRH is headed by the Pr ...

Youth

Lucić was born in

Posavski Podgajci Posavski Podgajci is a Settlement (Croatia), village in eastern Croatia located west of Drenovci, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The population is 1,255 (census 2011). Name The name of the village in Croatian language, Croatian is p ...

near

Drenovci Drenovci (, , , sr-Cyrl, Дреновци) is a village and municipality in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in Croatia. The municipality is part of Slavonia. Population According to the 2011 census, there are 5,174 inhabitants, in the following s ...

on 26 April 1957. He finished elementary and high school in

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

. In 1984 he graduated at Faculty of

Kinesiology Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, Biomechanics, biomechanical, Pathology, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kines ...

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...

, and in 1988 he became master of kinesiology.

Military career

In November 1990, Lucić voluntarily joined the units of the Croatian Ministry of Interior, where he became the Deputy Commander of the Special Battalion "Rakitje" and later Commander of the same battalion. He was also involved in the formation of an anti-terrorist police battalion. From May to December 1991, he was the Commander of 1st Guards Brigade "Tigers". As a Commander of the 1st

Croatian National Guard The Croatian National Guard ( or ZNG) was an armed force established by Croatia in April and May 1991 during the Croatian War of Independence. Although it was established within the framework of the Ministry of the Interior for legal reasons, th ...

brigade he participated in forming of second, third and fourth professional brigades of the National Guard. He was also involved in the formation of a mountain brigade, a company for alpine training, orientations, sky and mountain guides. As a Commander of the 1st Brigade he stopped the advance of the

Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...

in the direction of

Stara Gradiška Stara Gradiška (, ) is a village and a municipality in Slavonia, in the Brod-Posavina County of Croatia. It is located on the left bank of the river Sava, across from Gradiška in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Etymology The first word in the name mea ...

Okučani Okučani is a village and municipal centre in Brod-Posavina, western Slavonia, Croatia. It is located 19 km southeast of Novska and 17 km west of Nova Gradiška.Novska Novska is a town in the Sisak-Moslavina County of Croatia. It is located in western part of the historic region of Slavonia, between Kutina and Nova Gradiška, linear distance southeast of the capital, Zagreb. Climate Since records began in 198 ...

. From December 1991 to April 1992, he was the Deputy Chief of Staff of the

Croatian Army The Croatian Army ( or HKoV) is the land force branch of the Croatian Armed Forces. It is numerically the largest of the three branches of the Croatian Armed Forces. The HKoV is the main force for the defense of the country against external threa ...

and he also participated in the process of organizing and training of the

. From April to June 1992, he was the Commander of Military District

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

. After the signing of a ceasefire treaty, he secured conditions for peace in Eastern

Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...

. Conditions for the arrival of

UNTAES The United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) was a UN peacebuilding transitional administration in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia, in the eastern parts of Croatia (m ...

were also secured under his command. From June to December 1992, he was the Deputy Minister and Chief of the Personnel Department of the Ministry of Defence of Republic of Croatia. From December 1992 to March 1996, Lucić served as the Chief Inspector at the General Inspectorate of the Ministry of Defense. In February 1996, he became the Chief of the Military Academy "

Petar Zrinski Petar IV Zrinski () (6 June 1621 – 30 April 1671) was Ban of Croatia (Viceroy) from 1665 to 1670, general and a writer. A member of the Zrinski noble family, he was noted for his role in the attempted Croatian-Hungarian Magnate conspiracy to ...

" in

Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. In the 2021 census, its population was 49,377. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located southwest of Zagreb and northeast of Rijeka, and is connected to them via the ...

. On 20 November 2000, he became the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of Armed Forces. On 16 January 2003, he was named Chief of the

by commander-in-chief of Armed Forces of Croatia and

President of Croatia The president of Croatia, officially the president of the Republic of Croatia (), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and chief representative of the Republic of Croatia both within the country and abroad. The president ...

Stjepan Mesić Stjepan "Stipe" Mesić (; born 24 December 1934) is a Croatia, Croatian lawyer and politician who served as the president of Croatia from 2000 to 2010. Before serving two five-year terms as president, he was Prime Minister of Croatia, prime minis ...

. On 16 January 2008, his five-year mandate expired and he was formally relieved of his duties. On 28 February 2008, he was named, once again, Chief of General Staff, thereby becoming the first Croatian general to serve in this capacity more than once. On 1 March 2011, he was once again relieved of his duties.

Decorations

Svecanost podizanja NATOve zastave Zagreb 59

Croatian decorations

Grand Order of King Petar Krešimir IV The Grand Order of King Petar Krešimir IV (), or more fully the Grand Order of King Petar Krešimir IV with sash and Morning Star (''Velered kralja Petra Krešimira IV. s lentom i Danicom''), is an order of the Republic of Croatia. It ranks third ...

Order of Duke Domagoj The Order of Duke Domagoj () is the 8th most important medal given by the Republic of Croatia and is the nation's highest award for bravery. The order was founded on April 1, 1995. The medal is awarded for valor in combat. It is named after duke ...

Order of Nikola Šubić Zrinski The Order of Nikola Šubić Zrinski () is the 9th most important medal given by the Republic of Croatia. The order was founded on April 1, 1995. The medal is awarded for a heroic act in war or imminent danger of war, or exceptional circumstances in ...

Order of Ban Jelačić The Order of Ban Jelačić () is the 10th most important medal given by the Republic of Croatia. The order was founded on April 1, 1995. The medal is awarded for excellence in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia. It is named after the ban ...

Order of Ante Starčević The Order of Ante Starčević () is a Croatian national decoration which ranks twelfth in importance. The order was formed on 10 March 1995. The Order of Ante Starčević is granted to Croatians and foreigners for their contributions to the devel ...

Order of the Croatian Trefoil The Order of the Croatian Trefoil () is the sixteenth most important medal given by the Republic of Croatia. The order was founded on 1 April 1995. The medal is awarded for excellence in war, direct war danger or in extraordinary circumstances in ...

Order of the Croatian Interlace The Order of the Croatian Interlace or Order of the Early Croatian three-strand pattern () is the seventeenth most important medal given by the Republic of Croatia. The order was founded on 1 April 1995. The medal is awarded for advancement of pro ...

Commemorative Medal of the Homeland War The Homeland War Memorial () is a Croatian state medal awarded to both Croatian and foreign citizens who participated in the nation's Croatian War of Independence as a volunteer, part of the Croatian Army and Croatian Council of Defence or in som ...

Commemorative Medal of the Homeland's Gratitude Homeland's Gratitude Medal () is the 19th most important medal in the Croatian honours system. The Homeland's Gratitude Medal has four classes, each for the length of service of 5, 10, 15, and 20 or more years. Notable recipients * Imra Agoti ...

for 5 years of honorable service *

for 10 years of honorable servicenarodne-novine.nn.hr
Accessed 2011-08-13. * "Flash" Medal * "Storm" Medal * "Exceptional Undertaking" Medal

Foreign decorations

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

() *

Grand Officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

(

International Military Sports Council The International Military Sports Council (IMSC; , CISM) is an international sports association, established in 1948 and headquartered in Brussels. It is the world's second-largest multi-discipline sports organisation, after the International Ol ...

)

Other offices

*Member of Council for Defence and National Security (VONS) *Member of Military Council *President of Council for System of Command (SUZA) *President of High Court-Martial *President of Croatian delegation for military sports (CISM) *President of Organization Committee of 2nd Military Games in Zagreb in 1999

Private life

General Lucić is married and has two sons.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucic, Josip 1957 births People from Drenovci Croatian army officers Military personnel of the Croatian War of Independence Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit Living people Order of Ante Starčević recipients Order of Nikola Šubić Zrinski recipients