Veljko Kadijević
| Veljko Kadijević Вељко Кадијевић |
|
|---|---|
| 5th Federal Secretary of People's Defense of Yugoslavia | |
|
In office 15 May 1988 – 8 January 1992 |
|
| Preceded by | Branko Mamula |
| Succeeded by | Blagoje Adžić (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
21 November 1925 Glavina Donja, near Imotski, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes |
| Died | 2 November 2014 (aged 88) Moscow, Russia |
| Nationality | Yugoslavia, Russia |
| Political party | League of Communists of Yugoslavia |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
| Service/branch | Yugoslav People's Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1992 |
| Rank | General of the Army |
| Commands |
 Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) |
| Battles/wars | World War II in Yugoslavia, Ten-Day War, Croatian War of Independence |
Veljko Kadijević (Serbian Cyrillic: Вељко Кадијевић; 21 November 1925 – 2 November 2014) was a general of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA). He was the Minister of Defence in the Yugoslav government from 1988 until his resignation in 1992, which made him de facto commander-in-chief of the JNA during the Ten-Day War in Slovenia and the initial stages of the Croatian War of Independence.
Veljko Kadijević was born on 21 November 1925 in the village of Glavina Donja, near Imotski, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. His father was a Serb and his mother was an ethnic Croat. Kadijević self-declared as a "pro-Yugoslav Serb".
He joined the Yugoslav Partisans in 1941, following the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia during World War II. In 1943, he joined the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ). He was given the task of performing important duties almost immediately. He remained an active soldier after the war and graduated from the Military Academy in Belgrade.
Kadijević became the fifth Minister of Defence of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on 15 May 1988. Following the collapse of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, he was one of the founders of the party called League of Communists - Movement for Yugoslavia. In May 1991 he stated that if federal and republic officials "failed to ensure peace, the Yugoslav armed forces could efficiently do so themselves." After resigning from his post at federal secretary of people's defence on 6 January 1992, Kadijević retired to live in Serbia.
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