Ministry of Defence (Belgium)
The Ministry of Defence (Dutch: Ministerie van Landsverdediging, French: Ministère de la Défense, German: Ministerium der Verteidigung), formerly called the Ministry of War and Ministry of National Defence, is the Belgian ministry responsible for national defence and the Belgian military. Belgium's ministry of defence is responsible to the Minister of Defence.
As a result of the Verhofstadt I Government's plans to modernise the federal administration, all other ministries were transformed into Federal Public Services (FPS), but in August 2007 there still was no Royal Order creating the FPS Defence, although that name is already in use on official websites. The Ministry of Defence is responsible to the Minister of Defence.
The Chief of Defence (CHOD) is the highest uniformed official in the Ministry of Defence. The CHOD is assisted in the exercise of his functions by a Vice-Chief of Defence (VCHOD) and a Secretary-General.
The Ministry of Defence is organised into multiple staff departments and directorates-general. The Armed Forces are subordinate to the Assistant Chief of Staff (ACOS) Operations and Training, who heads the Staff Department for Operations and Training. He is assisted by two Deputy Assistant Chiefs of Staff (DACOS), one for Operations and Planning and one for Training and Support.
Another staff department is the Staff Department for Intelligence and Security, which is led by the ACOS Intelligence and Security. This staff department is also known as the General Intelligence and Security Service and is responsible for military intelligence and security.
Ministers of Defence[]
| Year | Photo | Minister | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1831 |  |
Albert Goblet d'Alviella | Liberal |
| 1831 | Charles d'Hane de Steenhuyze | Liberal | |
| 1831 |  |
Liberal | |
| 1831–1832 |  |
Charles de Brouckère | Liberal |
| 1832 |  |
Félix de Merode | Liberal |
| 1832–1836 |  |
? | |
| 1836–1840 |  |
Liberal | |
| 1840–1842 |  |
Liberal | |
| 1842–1843 | Liberal | ||
| 1843 |  |
Léandre Desmaisières | Liberal |
| 1843–1846 | Pierre Dupont | Liberal | |
| 1846 |  |
Jules Joseph d'Anethan | Catholic |
| 1846–1847 |  |
Albert Prisse | Catholic |
| 1847–1850 |  |
Liberal | |
| 1850–1851 | Liberal | ||
| 1851–1855 | Liberal | ||
| 1855–1857 |  |
? | |
| 1857–1859 | Liberal | ||
| 1859–1866 | |
Liberal | |
| 1866–1868 | Liberal | ||
| 1868–1870 | None (technical expert) | ||
| 1870–1873 |  |
Gustave Henri Louis Guillaume | None (technical expert) |
| 1873–1878 | None (technical expert) | ||
| 1878–1879 | None (technical expert) | ||
| 1879–1880 |  |
None (technical expert) | |
| 1880–1884 |  |
None (technical expert) | |
| 1884–1893 |  |
None (technical expert) | |
| 1893–1896 | None (technical expert) | ||
| 1896–1899 |  |
Jules Vandenpeereboom | Catholic |
| 1899–1907 | None (technical expert) | ||
| 1907–1912 |  |
None (technical expert) | |
| 1912 |  |
Charles de Broqueville | Catholic |
| 1912 | None (technical expert) | ||
| 1912–1917 | |
Charles de Broqueville | Catholic |
| 1917–1918 |  |
Armand De Ceuninck | None (technical expert) |
| 1918–1920 | Liberal | ||
| 1920 |  |
Paul-Emile Janson | Liberal |
| 1920–1923 |  |
Albert Devèze | Liberal |
| 1923–1925 | Liberal | ||
| 1925 | None (technical expert) | ||
| 1925–1926 |  |
None (technical expert) | |
| 1926 |  |
Prosper Poullet | Catholic |
| 1926–1931 | |
Charles de Broqueville | Catholic |
| 1931–1932 | Léon Dens | Liberal | |
| 1932 | Catholic | ||
| 1932 |  |
Georges Theunis | Catholic |
| 1932–1936 | |
Albert Devèze | Liberal |
| 1936–1940 | Henri Denis | None (technical expert) | |
| 1940–1944 |  |
Hubert Pierlot | Catholic |
| *1942 | Henri Rolin | POB-BWP | |
| 1944–1945 | Fernand Demets | Liberal | |
| 1945–1946 | Liberal | ||
| 1946–1949 | None (technical expert) | ||
| 1949–1950 | |
Albert Devèze | Liberal |
| 1950 | Henri Moreau de Melen | Christian Social Party | |
| 1950–1954 |  |
Eugène De Greef | None (technical expert) |
| 1954–1958 | PSB-BSP | ||
| 1958–1961 | Christian Social Party | ||
| 1961–1965 |  |
CVP | |
| 1965–1966 | CVP | ||
| 1966–1968 | Charles Poswick | PLP | |
| 1968–1972 | |
CVP | |
| 1972–1979 |  |
Paul Vanden Boeynants | PSC |
| 1979–1980 | José Desmarets | PSC | |
| 1980 | Charles Poswick | PRL | |
| 1980–1981 | Frank Swaelen | CVP | |
| 1981–1985 | Alfred Vreven | PVV | |
| 1985–1988 |  |
François-Xavier de Donnéa | PRL |
| 1988–1992 | Guy Coëme | PS | |
| 1992–1994 | CVP | ||
| 1994–1995 |  |
CVP | |
| 1995 |  |
Melchior Wathelet | PSC |
| 1995–1999 | PSC |
2000s[]
| No. | Portrait | Name (Born-Died) |
Term | Political Party | Government | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Duration | |||||
| 1 | André Flahaut (born 1955) | 12 July 1999 | 21 December 2007 | 8 years, 162 days | PS | Verhofstadt I–II | |
| 2 | Pieter De Crem (born 1962) | 21 December 2007 | 11 October 2014 | 6 years, 294 days | CD&V | Verhofstadt III Leterme I Van Rompuy Leterme II Di Rupo | |
| 3 | Steven Vandeput (born 1967) | 11 October 2014 | 12 November 2018 | 4 years, 32 days | N-VA | Michel I | |
| 4 | Sander Loones (born 1979) | 12 November 2018 | 9 December 2018 | 27 days | N-VA | Michel I | |
| 5 | Didier Reynders (born 1958) | 9 December 2018 | 30 November 2019 | 356 days | MR | Michel II Wilmès I | |
| 6 | Philippe Goffin (born 1967) | 30 November 2019 | 1 October 2020 | 306 days | MR | Wilmès I Wilmès II | |
| 7 | Ludivine Dedonder (born 1977) | 1 October 2020 | 336 days* | PS | De Croo | ||
* Incumbent's term duration last updated: 2 September 2021.
See also[]
- Military of Belgium
- Defence Diplomacy
External links[]
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- Defence ministers
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