Major Željko Kocijan

Major Željko Kocijan was born on November 26, 1978, in Zagreb. With a
passion for aviation, he enrolled in the Aeronautical Technical School in Velika
Gorica in 1993, graduating with top marks. He later earned a degree in Air
Transport from the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences in 2004. After
completing military service the same year, he joined the Croatian Armed Forces.

In 2005, he completed Basic Officer Training with distinction and was twice
commended. He served as a platoon commander for helicopter maintenance at
the 91st Air Base. He was awarded in 2007 and deployed to ISAF in 2008,
receiving praise upon return. In 2010, he completed the Aircraft Maintenance
Officer Course in the U.S. as the best student and returned to ISAF in 2012.

After graduating with honors from Advanced Officer Training in 2014, he
commanded the helicopter maintenance platoon. He later became Chief
Maintenance Engineer and Head of the S-4 Section, contributing to the UH-60M
acquisition project. In 2023, he graduated among the top from Command and
Staff School and received a Bronze Medal for Excellence. He now serves as
Maintenance Officer at the Croatian Air Force Command.