Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army

The Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army (C-LAS, Dutch: Commandant Landstrijdkrachten) is the highest-ranking officer of the Royal Netherlands Army and reports directly to the Chief of Defence. The Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army is statutorily a three-star general. The current C-LAS is Lieutenant General Jan Swillens.

Jan Swillens
Generaal-majoor Swillens als directeur-MIVD (2019)
Assumed office
8 March 2024
Preceded byMartin Wijnen
Personal details
Born (1967-08-20) 20 August 1967 (age 56)
Nijkerk, Netherlands
Military service
AllegianceNetherlands
Branch/service Royal Netherlands Army
Rank Lieutenant general
UnitKorps Commandotroepen

History of the C-LAS

edit

The position of C-LAS was created on 5 September 2005 as part of a thorough reorganization within the Dutch Ministry of Defence in which the staffs (military and civilian) were reduced in size and an entire organizational layer was dropped. prior to the reorganization the commanding officer of the Army was the "Bevelhebber der Landstrijdkrachten" (abbreviated BLS; the term also translates into English as Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army).

Officeholders

edit

Commanders of the Royal Netherlands Army (pre-2005)

edit

Commanders of the Royal Netherlands Army

edit
No. Portrait Name
(birth–death)
Term of office Ref.
Took office Left office Time in office
1   Lieutenant general
Peter van Uhm
(born 1955)
5 September 2005 13 March 2008 2 years, 190 days
2   Lieutenant general
Rob Bertholee
(born 1955)
13 March 2008 25 October 2011 3 years, 226 days
3   Lieutenant general
Mart de Kruif
(born 1958)
25 October 2011 24 March 2016 4 years, 151 days
4   Lieutenant general
Leo Beulen
(born 1960)
24 March 2016 28 August 2019 3 years, 157 days [1][2]
5   Lieutenant general
Martin Wijnen
(born 1966)
28 August 2019 8 march 2024 4 years, 193 days
6
 
Lieutenant general
Jan Swillens
(born 1967)
8 march 2024 [3]

Deputy Commanders

edit

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Commandant Landstrijdkrachten (in Dutch), Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  2. ^ "Leo Beulen gaat landmacht leiden" (in Dutch), NRC Handelsblad, 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  3. ^ "Jan Swillens nieuwe Commandant Landstrijdkrachten". nos.nl (in Dutch). 2023-12-04. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
edit