In 1980, Bruun-Hanssen started his military career with an officer course at
KNM Harald Haarfarge and in 1981 he graduated as a
second lieutenant after completion of
Officer School of the Norwegian Navy. He studied at the
Naval Academy in Laksevaag 1983. From 1987 to 1995 he served in the Submarine branch. From 1991 he served as
Commanding Officer on the submarines
Kobben of the
Kobben class and of the
Ula class. He has completed
Naval Staff College, 1st Class,
Dutch Staff College 2nd class, and all Total Defense courses at the
Defence Academy. Haakon Bruun-Hanssen has been a staff officer at the Naval staff, and worked at Strategic plan office at the same place. In the years 2003-06 he was chief of the Naval operation centre at the Armed Forces' joint operational headquarters in Jåtta in
Stavanger. From 2006 to 2008 Bruun-Hanssen served as
Chief of Staff of the Naval Staff, later as the
Inspector General of the Navy. In 2011 Haakon Bruun-Hanssen was appointed to the post of Chief of the Armed Forces Joint Headquarters in Bodø. He has never participated in actual combat, but has been in staff management for Norwegian military units in combat. 21 June 2013, he was appointed
Chief of Defence. He succeeded
General Harald Sunde in the autumn of 2013, after Sunde retired as chief of defence a few months before the end of his term and retirement. At the announcement of Bruun-Hanssen's appointment, Bruun-Hanssen stated that he would continue the renewal of the defense forces in the same direction as done in the last ten years. Bruun-Hanssen was at the appointment the first Chief of Defence from the Navy since 1994, when Admiral Torolf Rein stepped down as Chief of Defence after five years. In 2013, there were five applicants for the position. He assumed office 19 November 2013. ==Awards==