Metodija Velichkovski (, born 11 May 1966,

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

) is a retired

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Macedonia * Mac ...

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

who was the Chief of General Staff of the

Army of the Republic of North Macedonia The Army of the Republic of North Macedonia (, ARSM) is the military of North Macedonia. The army is organized, prepared and trained to conduct armed struggle and combat and other actions to achieve its constitutional function of defending the ...

from 2015 to 2018.Началник на Генералштабот на Армијата на Република Македонија генерал-потполковник Методија Величковски
.

. Retrieved 30 April 2016.Методија Величковски е нов началник на Генералштабот на АРМ
. Plusinfo.mk. Published 18 August 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2016.

Biography

Velichkovski was born in

, then part of the

Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

, on 11 May 1966. He attended a military school (1980―1984) and later a military academy (1984―1988). In

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

he attended a battalion commanders school (1999) and the George C. Marshall Center. Velichkovski also graduated from the Command and Staff College in

(2000) and from the School of National Security and Defense in

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

Military career

Positions: * Platoon commander (1988―1991) * Commander of an engineering company (1991―1994) * Chief engineer of the 1st Guards Brigade (1995―1999) * Engineer battalion commander (1999―2001) * Head of the G7 (Engineer) in the

SEEBRIG The South-Eastern Europe Brigade or SEEBRIG is a multinational brigade with forces from Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia, Romania, and Turkey. It was established in the spirit of NATO's Partnership for Peace initiative. It was establishe ...

(2002―2004) * Chief of Staff of the Engineering Regiment (2004) * Commander of the Engineer Regiment (2004―2006) * Deputy Commander of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade (2006―2009) * Commander of the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade (2009―2012) * Commander of Joint Operations Command (March 2012―August 2015) * Chief of the General Staff of the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia (from 18 August 2015) Ranks: *Lieutenant (1989) *Captain (1993) *Captain 1st Class (1996) *Major (1999) *Lieutenant Colonel (2001) *Colonel (2006) *Brigadier General (2011) *Major General (2013) *Lieutenant General (2015)

Personal life

Velichkovski is married and has two children. His hobbies include reading and inventing (he applied for two and has registered one patent). Along with his native

, Velichkovski speaks

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

, and Bulgarian.

Awards

* :

Vermont National Guard The Vermont National Guard is composed of the Vermont Army National Guard and the Vermont Air National Guard. Together, they are collectively known as the Green Mountain Boys. Both units use the original Revolutionary War-era Flag of the Green Mo ...

Commendation Medal * : Commendation Medal "For Meritorious Service Under the Colors", 2nd class * : SEEBRIG Achievement Medal

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Velichkovski, Metodija 1966 births Military personnel from Skopje Yugoslav People's Army personnel Army of North Macedonia personnel Living people