On 12 May, he presented Eirik Kristoffersen as the government's nominee for Chief of Defence, succeeding retiring Haakon Bruun-Hanssen. Of Kristoffersen, Bakke-Jensen said: "Kristoffersen has left a clear mark on where he has been. He has shown very good results in the Armed Forces' special forces and as commander of HV. In his short time as commander of the Army, he has ensured that the Finnmark Land Defence structure is now ahead of schedule".
