Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army

The Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army (C-LAS, Dutch: Commandant Landstrijdkrachten) is the executive commander 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 Air Defense Artillery Lieutenant General Martin Wijnen. As of March 2024, Major General Jan Swillens will take office as the new Commander of the Army with simultaneous promotion to lieutenant general.

Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army
Commandant Landstrijdkrachten
Incumbent
Lieutenant-general Martin Wijnen
since 28 August 2019
 Royal Netherlands Army
AbbreviationC-LAS
Reports toChief of Defence
Formation1954
First holderBen Hasselman
DeputyDeputy Commander
WebsiteOfficial website

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. Before September 2005 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 (Bevelhebber der Landstrijdkrachten) edit

Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army edit

Commandant Landstrijdkrachten
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 Incumbent 4 years, 198 days

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.

External links edit