Several top military personnel are leaving active duty this year. This means that Minister of Defense Ludivine Dedonder (PS) had to solve the major puzzle of who gets which appointment. That puzzle has now been completed, as appears from internal documents that our editors were able to view. No fewer than fourteen reshuffles will take place among the generals.
On the eve of the elections, Defense Minister Dedonder decided to make many shifts within the defense staff, at the suggestion of Chief of Belgian Defense (CHOD) Michel Hofman. The most important change was already known: Hofman himself is retiring, he will be succeeded by Frederic Vansina, who as deputy chief of staff (VCHOD) was his direct right-hand man.
Powers and sensitivities
In addition to the VCHOD, Defense has various directorates general: Material Resources (DG MR) is responsible for all equipment, DG HR for personnel policy and DG Stratcom for strategic communication. Significant changes were also implemented at this level. Guido Hart, who heads Stratcom, leaves the service to Yves De Neve and becomes Head of the Military Household of the King. The current Head, Thierry Vandeveld, is retiring. He was one of only three four-star generals in our country, next to Michel Hofman and King Philippe.
Frédéric Goetynck, who now heads DG MR, will become the new VCHOD. He had long been seen as the favorite for that position, but Thierry Esser, his colleague at DG HR, was also a strong candidate. There are different powers and sensitivities at play in Defense: there must be a balance between French-speaking and Dutch-speaking people, and the relationships between the army, air force and navy also play a role. Since the current CHOD comes from the navy and his successor is a Dutch-speaking air force general, the unwritten rule is that his vice is a French-speaking army general.
“Then you really only have two real choices: Goetynck or Esser,” explains an air force general. “The latter is the youngest of all three-star generals, and has only recently joined DGHR to realize all the ambitious HR projects. He helped write it himself as deputy chief of staff of Dedonder.” But whether Goetynck is so satisfied with the role remains to be seen. “DG MR is very powerful within Defense. He won’t necessarily see this as a promotion,” a general explains cautiously.
Dead favorite
Goetynck is not the only general to leave the material service. Filip De Varé, responsible for all weapon systems, is taking early retirement. He would normally remain in office until 2029, but will now be succeeded by Geert Bouchez. A surprise: “He was the obvious favorite to succeed Goetynck as head of DGMR, but was sidelined by Vansina,” says a senior source. The new boss of DG MR will therefore not be De Varé, but Filip Borremans, who today heads the Royal Higher Institute of Defense (KHID). “I expected that someone from the air force or navy would finally take on a general’s position within DGMR, but the fact that Borremans would immediately be in charge will have come as a surprise to most,” says another general.
In addition to these shifts, a number of changes also took place on other services. The document contains a total of fourteen puzzle pieces that are now falling into place. However, this concerns internal movements, and not promotions or appointments. This requires a Senior Officers Committee, where the very top of Defense sits around the table to discuss everything. The next committee will not take place until 2025.
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Tags: Musical chairs among generals addition big boss shifts top Defense Domestic
