Chief of Defence (Denmark)

Chief of Defence of Denmark

Chief of Defence Coat of Arms

Standard of the Chief of Defence
Incumbent
General Peter Bartram

since 20 March 2010
Ministry of Defence
Member of Defence Command of Denmark
Reports to Defence Minister of Denmark
Formation 27 May 1950
First holder Admiral Erhard Jørgen Carl Qvistgaard
Website

The Chief of Defence of Denmark (Danish: Forsvarschefen), under responsibility of the Defence minister, is the Chief of Defence and commander1 of the Royal Danish Army, the Royal Danish Navy and the Royal Danish Air Force. The Chief of Defence is the military adviser to the Defence minister and head of the Defence Command.

The Chief of Defence is the highest-ranking military officer in Denmark and has the rank of four-star General (or Admiral if from the Navy) (OF-9)2, and supervises roughly 93% of all military spending in Denmark.[1]

The Danish Home Guard and Defence intelligence is directly under the Ministry of Defence, only in times of war will the Home Guard Command be transferred to the Defence Command, and thus come under the authority of the Chief of Defence.

The job traditionally rotated evenly between the Army, Navy and Air Force. This tradition has been abandoned in 2009. There is no fixed length of time associated with the position.

List of Chiefs of Defence

Chief of Defence Took office Left office Time in office Defence branch
1
Admiral Erhard Jørgen Carl Qvistgaard1 October 195030 September 196211 years, 364 daysNavy
2
General Kurt Rudolph Ramberg1 October 196230 September 19729 years, 365 daysAir force
3
General Otto Blixenkrone-Møller1 December 197230 April 19774 years, 150 daysArmy
4
General Knud Jørgensen1 May 197730 September 19847 years, 152 daysAir force
5
General Otto Katharus Lind1 October 198430 November 19851 years, 60 daysArmy
6
Admiral Sven Eigil Thiede1 December 198531 October 1989 3 years, 334 daysNavy
7
General Jørgen Lyng1 November 198931 March 19966 years, 151 daysArmy
8
Admiral Hans Jørgen Garde
[2]
1 April 19963 August 1996 124 daysNavy
9
General Christian Hvidt20 August 199630 September 20026 years, 41 daysAir force
10
General Hans Jesper Helsø1 October 200231 July 20085 years, 304 daysArmy
11
Admiral Tim Sloth Jørgensen1 August 20084 October 20091 years, 64 daysNavy
Lieutenant General Bjørn Bisserup (Acting)5 October 200915 November 200941 daysArmy
12
General Knud Bartels16 November 20092 January 20122 years, 47 daysArmy
Lieutenant General Bjørn Bisserup (Acting)2 January 201220 March 201278 daysArmy
13
General Peter Bartram
[3]
20 March 2012Incumbent3 years, 40 daysArmy

Notes

1Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is the supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Danish Defence.
2Prince Henrik, Prince consort of Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, holds this rank à la suite.

References