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Gojko Šušak

Gojko Šušak
5th Minister of Defence of Croatia
In office
18 September 1991 – 3 May 1998
President Franjo Tuđman
Prime Minister Franjo Gregurić
Hrvoje Šarinić
Nikica Valentić
Zlatko Mateša
Preceded by Luka Bebić
Succeeded by Andrija Hebrang
Personal details
Born (1945-03-16)16 March 1945
Široki Brijeg, FS Bosnia and Herzegovina, DF Yugoslavia
Died 3 May 1998(1998-05-03) (aged 53)
Zagreb, Croatia
Resting place Mirogoj Cemetery, Zagreb, Croatia
Nationality Croat
Political party Croatian Democratic Union
Spouse(s) Đurđa Gojmerac
Children Katarina
Tomislav
Jelena
Religion Roman Catholicism
Awards Grand Order of King Dmitar Zvonimir
Grand Order of King Petar Krešimir IV
Order of Duke Domagoj
Order of Nikola Šubić Zrinski
Order of Ante Starčević
Order of Stjepan Radić
Order of the Croatian Trefoil
Homeland's Gratitude Medal
Military service
Allegiance  Croatia
Service/branch Republic of Croatia Armed Forces
Years of service 1991-1998
Rank General of the Army
Commands Croatian Defence Minister
Battles/wars Croatian War of Independence

Gojko Šušak (pronounced [gȏːjko ʃûʃak]; 16 March 1945 – 3 May 1998) was a Croatian politician who held the post of Minister of Defence from 1991 to 1998 under President Franjo Tuđman. From 1990 to 1991 he was the Minister of Emigration and in 1991 the Deputy Minister of Defence.

Born in Široki Brijeg, he attended the University of Rijeka in 1963. In 1969 Šušak emigrated to Canada where he worked in the restaurant and construction business and rose to prominence within the Croatian diaspora in North America in the following decades. In the late 1980s he became a close friend and associate to Franjo Tuđman, leader of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party seeking Croatia's independence from Yugoslavia.

In 1990, he returned to Croatia. After Tuđman became president following the 1990 parliamentary election, Šušak was named Minister of Emigration and helped gather economic aid from Croatian emigrants. From early 1991 he was the Deputy Minister of Defence. In September 1991 he was appointed Minister of Defence, an office he held throughout the Croatian War of Independence. As minister, Šušak reorganized and modernized the Croatian Army, leading it to a status of a regional power. He contributed to the planning of key military operations, particularly Operation Storm in 1995 that effectively ended the war in Croatia. He supported the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia during the 1992–94 Croat–Bosniak War and later helped broker the 1995 Dayton Agreement. During his term in office he forged close contacts with the United States Department of Defense. Šušak's tenure as Defence Minister is the longest in Croatian history and lasted until his death in 1998.


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