List of heads of state and government with a military background
This is a list of heads of state and government in any country who were military personnel. It does not include people who served in the military as part of mandatory peacetime military service or those who only held rank due to their position in government.
A
B
C
D
Portrait
Name
Countries
Official position
Service
Rank in military
Notes
Deng Xiaoping
Communist China China
Paramount leader of China (1978–1989) Secretary-General of the Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Party (1956–1967)
1929–1952 1975–1980
Chief of the General Staff
Served in Communist Chinese forces during the Chinese Civil War and World War II .
Samuel Doe
Liberia
Chairman of the People's Redemption Council (1980–1986) President of Liberia (1986–1990)
1969–1985
Master Sergeant
Came to power in a coup d'etat.
Dong Biwu
Communist China
Chairman of the People's Republic of China (1972–1975)
1927–1949
Served in Communist Chinese forces during the Chinese Civil War and World War II .
Du Xigui
Qing Dynasty Republic of China
President of the Republic of China (1926) Premier of the Republic of China (1926)
1902–1933
Admiral
Served in the Chinese Civil War .
Duan Qirui
Qing Dynasty Republic of China
Chief Executive of the Republic of China (1924–1926) Premier of the Republic of China (1916–1917, 1917, 1918)
1885–1926
General
Served in the Boxer Rebellion and Warlord Era .
E
F
G
H
J
Portrait
Name
Countries
Official position
Service
Rank in military
Notes
Wojciech Jaruzelski
Poland
President of Poland (1989-1990) Prime Minister of Poland (1981-1985)
1943–1991
General
Served in World War II.
Jiang Chaozong
Qing Dynasty Republic of China
Premier of the Republic of China (1917)
General
Jin Yunpeng
Qing Dynasty Republic of China
Premier of the Republic of China (1919–1920, 1920–1921)
General
Andrew Johnson
United States
President of the United States (1865–1869)
1862–1865
Brigadier General
Lyndon B. Johnson
United States
President of the United States (1963–1969)
1941–1942
Commander
Served in World War II .
K
L
Portrait
Name
Countries
Official position
Service
Rank in military
Notes
Arvid Lindman
Sweden
Prime Minister of Sweden (1906-1911 and 1928-1930)
1882–1892
Reserve Rear-Admiral
Li Xiannian
Communist China
President of the People's Republic of China (1983–1988)
1927–1949
Served in Communist Chinese forces during the Chinese Civil War and World War II .
Li Yuanhong
Qing Dynasty Republic of China
President of the Republic of China (1916–1917, 1922–1923)
1889–1912
Served in the First Sino-Japanese War .
Liu Shaoqi
Communist China
Chairman of the People's Republic of China (1959–1968)
1941–1949
Served in Communist Chinese forces during the Chinese Civil War and World War II .
Alexander Lukashenko
Belarus
President of Belarus (1994–present)
1994–present
Lieutenant-Colonel
Heinrich Lübke
West Germany
President of West Germany (1959–1969)
1914–1918
Captain
Served in World War I .
M
N
Portrait
Name
Countries
Official position
Service
Rank in military
Notes
Ne Win
Empire of Japan Myanmar
President of Burma (1962–1981) Prime Minister of Burma (1958–1960, 1962–1974)
1931–1974
General
Served in World War II .
Richard M. Nixon
United States
President of the United States (1969-1974)
1942-1946
Commander
Served in World War II .
O
P
Q
Portrait
Name
Countries
Official position
Service
Rank in military
Notes
Abdul Qadir
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
Head of state of Afghanistan (1978)
Colonel-General
1962–1989
Served in the Soviet–Afghan War .
Abd al-Karim Qasim
Iraq
Prime Minister of Iraq (1958–1963)
1932–1963
Major-General
Served in World War II .
R
S
Portrait
Name
Countries
Official position
Service
Rank in military
Notes
Sa Zhenbing
Qing Dynasty Republic of China
Premier of the Republic of China (1920)
1869–1946
Admiral
Served in the National Protection War .
San Yu
Myanmar
President of Burma (1981–1988)
General
1942–1980
Saw Maung
Myanmar
Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (1988–1992) Prime Minister of Burma (1988–1992)
Senior General
1945–1992
Walter Scheel
West Germany
President of West Germany (1974–1979)
1939–1945
First Lieutenant
Served as combat pilot during World War II .[ 3]
Sein Lwin
Myanmar
Prime Minister of Burma (1974–1977)
1943–1988
Brigadier-General
Sein Win
Empire of Japan Myanmar
Prime Minister of Burma (1974–1977)
1942–1972
Brigadier-General
Served in World War II .
Ariel Sharon
Israel
Prime Minister of Israel (2001–2006)
1948–1974
Major-General
Served in the 1948 Palestine war , Suez Crisis , Six-Day War , and Yom Kippur War .
Mehmet Shehu
People's Socialist Republic of Albania
Prime Minister of Albania (1954–1981)
1936–1939 1942–1948
General
Served in the Spanish Civil War , Albanian partisan leader during World War II .
Juha Sipilä
Prime Minister of Finland (2015-2019)
Reserve Captain
Sao Shwe Thaik
United Kingdom
President of Burma (1948–1952)
Served in World War I .
Soe Win
Myanmar
Prime Minister of Myanmar (2004–2007)
General
1965–2007
Ludvík Svoboda
Czechoslovakia
President of Czechoslovakia (1968–1975)
1915–1950
General
Served in World War I and Commanded Czechoslovak units on Eastern front during World War II.
Jan Syrový
Czechoslovakia
Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia (1938)
1914-1938
General
Served in World War I and commanded Czechoslovak Legion in Russia.
T
W
Portrait
Name
Countries
Official position
Service
Rank in military
Notes
George Washington
United States
President of the United States (1789–1797)
1752–1799
General of the Armies
Wang Jingwei
Republic of China
President of the Republic of China (Reorganized National Government, 1940–1944) Premier of the Republic of China (1932–1935)
1940–1944
Generalissimo
Led collaborationist Chinese forces during World War II .
Ezer Weizmann
United Kingdom Israel
President of Israel (1993–2000)
1942–1945 1946–1969
Major-General
Served in World War II , the 1948 Palestine War , Suez Crisis , Six-Day War , and War of Attrition .
Richard von Weizsäcker
Germany
President of Germany (1984–1994)
1938–1945
Captain
Served in World War II .[ 4]
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1828–1830, 1834)
1787–1852
Field Marshal
Served in the French Revolutionary Wars , Fourth Anglo-Mysore War , Maratha-Nizam War, Cotiote War , Second Anglo-Maratha War and the Napoleonic Wars , most notably at the Battle of Waterloo .
Y
Portrait
Name
Countries
Official position
Service
Rank in military
Notes
Yang Shangkun
Communist China
President of the People's Republic of China (1988–1993)
1931–1949
Served in Communist Chinese forces during the Chinese Civil War and World War II .
Ye Jianying
Republic of China Communist China China
Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (1978–1983)
1917–1985
Lieutenant-General (Republic of China) Marshal (People's Republic of China)
Served in Communist Chinese forces during the Chinese Civil War and World War II . Also participated in the Nanchang uprising .
Yuan Shikai
Qing Dynasty Republic of China
Emperor of China (1915–1916) President of the Republic of China (1912–1915, 1916) Prime Minister of the Qing Dynasty (1911–1912)
1881–1916
Generalissimo
Served in the First Sino-Japanese War and National Protection War .
Z
Heads of state and government of unrecognized states
This list includes leaders of countries that were or are self-proclaimed as independent, but were or are neither members nor observers of the United Nations .
Portrait
Name
Countries
Official position
Service
Rank in military
Notes
Hibatullah Akhundzada
Taliban
Supreme Leader of Afghanistan (2016–present)
until 1992 1996–2001
Leader of the Taliban. Served during the Soviet–Afghan War , Afghan Civil War (1996–2001) , and War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) .
Anatoly Bibilov
Soviet Union South Ossetia Russia
President of South Ossetia (2017–2022)
Lieutenant-General
1988–2008
Valery Bolotov
Soviet Union Luhansk People's Republic
Head of the Luhansk People's Republic (2014)
Senior Sergeant
1988–1990 2014–2017
Agim Çeku
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Croatia Kosovo
Prime Minister of Kosovo (2006–2008)
before 1991–1999 1999–2001
Served during the Croatian War of Independence and in the Kosovo Liberation Army during the Kosovo War .
Chen Cheng
Republic of China Taiwan
Premier of Taiwan (1950–1954, 1958–1963)
General
1924–1950
Served during the Northern Expedition , Chinese Civil War , and World War II .
Chiang Ching-kuo
Republic of China Taiwan
President of Taiwan (1978–1988) Premier of Taiwan (1972–1978)
General
1937–1968
Dzhokhar Dudayev
Soviet Union Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (1991–1996)
Major-General
1962–1990 1991–1996
Served in the Soviet–Afghan War and First Chechen War .
Ramush Haradinaj
Kosovo
Prime Minister of Kosovo (2004–2005, 2017–2020)
1996–2000
Served in the Kosovo Liberation Army .
Hau Pei-tsun
Republic of China Taiwan
Premier of Taiwan (1990–1993)
Senior General
1938–1989
Served during the Chinese Civil War , World War II , and the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis .
Vadim Krasnoselsky
Transnistria
President of Transnistria (2016–present)
Major-General
1988–2012
Lee Teng-hui
Empire of Japan
President of Taiwan (1988–2000)
Second Lieutenant
1944–1945
Served in World War II .
Ma Ying-jeou
Taiwan
President of Taiwan (2008–2016)
Lieutenant
1972–1974
Aslan Maskhadov
Soviet Union Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (1997–2005)
Colonel (Soviet Union)
1972–1992 1992–2005
Served in the First Chechen War and Second Chechen War .
Mullah Omar
Afghan mujahideen Taliban
Supreme Leader of Afghanistan (1996–2005)
1979–1991 1994–2013
Founder and leader of the Taliban. Served during the Soviet–Afghan War and Afghan Civil War (1992–1996) .
Igor Plotnitsky
Soviet Union Luhansk People's Republic
Head of the Luhansk People's Republic (2014–2017)
Major
1982–1991 2014
Mohammad Rabbani
Afghan mujahideen Taliban
Prime Minister of Afghanistan (1996–2001)
1979–1991
Served during the Soviet–Afghan War .
Bajram Rexhepi
Kosovo
Prime Minister of Kosovo (2002–2004)
1999
Served in the Kosovo Liberation Army during the Kosovo War .
Tang Fei
Republic of China Taiwan
Premier of Taiwan (2000)
Senior General
1944–1999
Served during the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis .
Hashim Thaçi
Kosovo
President of Kosovo (2016–2020) Prime Minister of Kosovo (1999–2000, 2008–2014)
1993–1999
Served in the Kosovo Liberation Army during the Kosovo War .
Yan Xishan
Republic of China Taiwan
Premier of Taiwan (1949–1950)
General
1911–1949
Served during the Northern Expedition , Central Plains War , Chinese Civil War , and World War II .
Alexander Zakharchenko
Donetsk People's Republic
Head of the Donetsk People's Republic (2014–2018)
Major-General
2014–2018
References
^ Švehla, Marek. "Gottwald: neznámý příběh" . Týdeník Respekt . Retrieved 14 January 2023 .
^ Hron, Lukáš. "Prezidenti v uniformě: Major Klaus, hrdina Svoboda. Havel kvůli vojně předstíral psychopata" . cnn.iprima.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 8 February 2023 .
^ McFadden, Robert D. (24 August 2016). "Walter Scheel, Leading Figure in West German Thaw With the East, Dies at 97" . The New York Times . Retrieved 14 January 2023 .
^ "Richard von Weizsaecker, German president who helped nation face Nazi past, dies at 85" . South China Morning Post . 2 February 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2023 .
^ "65. výročí: Antonína Zápotockého zabil infarkt. Zapálený komunista přežil válku, koncentrák, jako prezident bydlel na Hradě" . Blesk.cz (in Czech). 14 November 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2023 .
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