Jānis Sārts

State Secretary, Ministry of Defence of Latvia

Mr. Sārts is the current State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of Latvia. He started his career in the Ministry of Defence in 1994 and within three years of service, in 1997, he was appointed as a director of the Defence Policy Department. From 1999 until 2000, Mr. Sārts was in charge of the elaboration of the Latvia’s NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP). He also served as Acting State Secretary during State Secretary’s leave from 1999 until 2001, being appointed as Deputy State Secretary for Defence Planning in September 2000. From 2002 until 2007, Mr. Sārts served as a Defence Advisor in Latvia’s Missions to NATO and EU. In 2007, until the nomination to the current post in November, he served as Deputy State Secretary for Defence Planning. In 1994 Mr. Sārts received a Bachelor’s Degree in History from the University of Latvia, but in 1999 he graduated from the NATO Defence College.