Ministry of Defence (Netherlands)

Netherlands

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The Netherlands Ministry of Defence (Ministerie van Defensie) governs the Netherlands Armed Forces. The Minister is assisted by a State Secretary. The current Minister is Hans Hillen.

Contents

Responsibilities

The ministry has the responsibility for:

Organisation

The ministry consists of the Minister and the State Secretary of Defence, the so called Central Staff, the Netherlands Armed Forces, and two supporting organisations.

The Central Staff of the ministry is led by the Secretary-General, the highest civil servant. The most important elements of the Central Staff are:

The highest military official is the Commander of the Armed Forces (Commandant der Strijdkrachten). He is a four-star general and controls the branches of the armed forces, which are organised in three operational commands:

The fourth branch of service, the Royal Netherlands Constabulary, falls directly under the Secretary-General.

The armed forces are supported by two civil organisations that reside under the Ministry of Defence:

The ministry employs over 70,000 civil and military personnel.

History

Since 1813 the Netherlands had a ministry of War and a ministry of the Navy. In 1928 these merged to form the Ministry of Defence, but between 1945-1959 the ministries were separated again. In this period the minister of War and the Navy were often the same person and the state secretary of the Navy was responsible for daily affairs. In 1959 the ministries were merged.

List of Ministers of Defence

Minister of Defence In Office Party Prime Minister Cabinet Note(s)
Jo Meynen June 24, 1945 - July 3, 1946 Anti Revolutionary Party Wim Schermerhorn Schermerhorn-Drees Minister of War
Jim de Booy February 23, 1945 – July 3, 1946 Liberal
(No Party)		 Wim Schermerhorn Schermerhorn-Drees Minister of the Marine

Alexander Fiévez		 July 3, 1946 - August 7, 1948 Catholic People's Party Louis Beel Beel I Minister of War
Minister of the Marine (July 3, 1946 - August 7, 1946 / November 24, 1947 - August 7, 1948)
Jules Schagen van Leeuwen August 7, 1946 - November 24, 1947 None Louis Beel Beel I Minister of the Marine (Resigned)

Wim Schokking		 August 7, 1948 - October 15, 1950 Christian Historical Union Willem Drees Drees-Van Schaik Minister of War and Minister of the Marine (Resigned)

Hans s'Jacob		 October 16, 1950 - March 15, 1951 Christian Historical Union Willem Drees Drees-Van Schaik Minister of War and Minister of the Marine

Kees Staf		 March 15, 1951 - May 19, 1959 Christian Historical Union Willem Drees (1951–1958)
Louis Beel (1958–1959)		 Drees I
Drees II
Drees III
Beel II

Sidney J. van den Bergh		 May 19, 1959 - August 1, 1959 People's Party for Freedom and Democracy Jan de Quay De Quay (Resigned)

Jan de Quay		 August 1, 1959 - September 4, 1959 Catholic People's Party Jan de Quay De Quay Prime Minister (Ad interim)

Sim Visser		 September 4, 1959 – July 24, 1963 People's Party for Freedom and Democracy Jan de Quay De Quay

Piet de Jong		 July 24, 1963 – April 5, 1967 Catholic People's Party Victor Marijnen (1963–1965)
Jo Cals (1965–1966)
Jelle Zijlstra (1966–1967)		 Marijnen
Cals
Zijlstra

Willem den Toom		 April 5, 1967 – July 6, 1971 People's Party for Freedom and Democracy Piet de Jong De Jong

Hans de Koster		 July 6, 1971 – May 11, 1973 People's Party for Freedom and Democracy Barend Biesheuvel Biesheuvel I
Biesheuvel II

Henk Vredeling		 May 11, 1973 – January 1, 1977 Labour Party Joop den Uyl Den Uyl (Resigned)

Bram Stemerdink		 January 1, 1977 - December 19, 1977 Labour Party Joop den Uyl Den Uyl

Roelof Kruisinga		 December 19, 1977 - March 4, 1978 Christian Historical Union Dries van Agt Van Agt I (Resigned)

Jan de Koning		 March 4, 1978 - March 8, 1978 Anti Revolutionary Party Dries van Agt Van Agt I Minister for Development Cooperation (Ad interim)

Willem Scholten		 March 8, 1978 - August 25, 1980 Christian Historical Union Dries van Agt Van Agt I (Resigned)

Pieter de Geus		 August 25, 1980 - September 11, 1981 Christian Historical Union
(On October 11, 1980 merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal)		 Dries van Agt Van Agt I

Hans van Mierlo		 September 11, 1981 – November 4, 1982 Democrats 66 Dries van Agt Van Agt II
Van Agt III

Job de Ruiter		 November 4, 1982 - July 14, 1986 Christian Democratic Appeal Ruud Lubbers Lubbers I

Wim van Eekelen		 July 14, 1986 - September 6, 1988 People's Party for Freedom and Democracy Ruud Lubbers Lubbers II (Resigned)

Piet Bukman		 September 6, 1988 - September 23, 1988 Christian Democratic Appeal Ruud Lubbers Lubbers II Minister for Development Cooperation (Ad interim)

Frits Bolkestein		 September 24, 1988 - November 7, 1989 People's Party for Freedom and Democracy Ruud Lubbers Lubbers II

Relus ter Beek		 November 7, 1989 – August 22, 1994 Labour Party Ruud Lubbers Lubbers III

Joris Voorhoeve		 August 22, 1994 - August 3, 1998 People's Party for Freedom and Democracy Wim Kok Kok I

Frank de Grave		 August 3, 1998 – July 22, 2002 People's Party for Freedom and Democracy Wim Kok Kok II

Benk Korthals		 July 22, 2002 – December 12, 2002 People's Party for Freedom and Democracy Jan Peter Balkenende Balkenende I (Resigned)

Henk Kamp		 December 12, 2002 – February 22, 2007 People's Party for Freedom and Democracy Jan Peter Balkenende Balkenende I
Balkenende II
Balkenende III

Eimert van Middelkoop		 February 22, 2007 – October 14, 2010 ChristianUnion Jan Peter Balkenende Balkenende IV

Hans Hillen		 Since October 14, 2010 Christian Democratic Appeal Mark Rutte Rutte

Living Ministers of Defence

Minister of Defence Term Age
Piet de Jong 1963-1967 April 3, 1915 (1915-04-03) (age 96)
Bram Stemerdink 1977 March 6, 1936 (1936-03-06) (age 75)
Roelof Kruisinga 1977-1978 August 27, 1922 (1922-08-27) (age 89)
Job de Ruiter 1982-1986 April 30, 1930 (1930-04-30) (age 81)
Wim van Eekelen 1986-1988 February 5, 1931 (1931-02-05) (age 81)
Piet Bukman 1988 February 7, 1934 (1934-02-07) (age 78)
Frits Bolkestein 1988-1989 April 4, 1933 (1933-04-04) (age 78)
Joris Voorhoeve 1994-1998 December 22, 1945 (1945-12-22) (age 66)
Frank de Grave 1998-2002 June 27, 1955 (1955-06-27) (age 56)
Benk Korthals 2002 October 5, 1944 (1944-10-05) (age 67)
Henk Kamp 2002-2007 July 23, 1952 (1952-07-23) (age 59)
Eimert van Middelkoop 2007-2010 February 14, 1949 (1949-02-14) (age 63)
Hans Hillen 2010- June 17, 1947 (1947-06-17) (age 64)

Last former Ministers of Defence who died

Minister of Defence Term Born Died
Hans de Koster 1971-1973 November 5, 1914(1914-11-05) November 24, 1992(1992-11-24) (aged 78)
Jan de Koning 1978 August 31, 1926(1926-08-31) October 9, 1994(1994-10-09) (aged 68)
Willem den Toom 1967-1971 July 11, 1911(1911-07-11) December 13, 1998(1998-12-13) (aged 87)
Pieter de Geus 1980-1981 February 23, 1929(1929-02-23) May 5, 2004(2004-05-05) (aged 75)
Willem Scholten 1978-1980 June 1, 1927(1927-06-01) January 1, 2005(2005-01-01) (aged 77)
Henk Vredeling 1973-1977 November 20, 1924(1924-11-20) October 27, 2007(2007-10-27) (aged 82)
Relus ter Beek 1989-1994 January 18, 1944(1944-01-18) September 29, 2008(2008-09-29) (aged 64)
Hans van Mierlo 1981-1982 August 18, 1931(1931-08-18) March 11, 2010(2010-03-11) (aged 78)

See also

External links

under the command of the Ministry of Defence
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