Winning the War: The Role of Technology
ABCD 2026
Tarja Jaakkola
Assistant Secretary General for Defence Industry, Innovation and Armaments at NATO
Tarja Jaakkola is NATO´s Assistant Secretary General for Defence Industry, Innovation, and Armaments, the division that leads the rapid development and delivery of cutting-edge, interoperable defence capabilities, working with industry and innovation ecosystems across the Alliance to meet NATO’s deterrence and defence needs. Before her current position, Ms Jaakkola worked as Director General of the Resource Policy Department in the Finnish Ministry of Defence and as Finnish National Armaments Director. From 2018 to late 2022, she served as Director of the Materiel Unit and Deputy National Armaments Director. From October 2011 to September 2017, Ms Jaakkola worked in the European Defence Agency in Brussels. She initially served as Assistant Director of the Industry and Market Directorate, and from 2014 onwards, she worked in the European Synergies and Innovation Directorate as Deputy Director and Head of Industry Strategy and the wider EU Policies Unit. Ms Jaakkola has previously held different positions within the Ministry of Defence of Finland and Finnish Defence Forces. She has also served as a Judge at the City Court of Helsinki, Senior Advisor at the Finnish Rail Administration, and attorney-at-law. Ms Jaakkola received her Master of Laws Degree from the University of Helsinki.
Updated: September 9, 2026