Tom Middendorp

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General
Tom Middendorp
Middendorp in 2015
Chief of Defence
In office
28 June 2012 – 3 October 2017
Preceded byGeneral Peter van Uhm
Succeeded byLieutenant admiral Rob Bauer
Personal details
Born
Thomas Antonius Middendorp

(1960-09-06) 6 September 1960 (age 63)
General
CommandsChief of Defence
Task Force Uruzgan
13th Light Brigade
Battles/wars

Thomas Antonius Middendorp (born 6 September 1960) is a retired

Armed forces of the Netherlands from 28 June 2012 until 3 October 2017.[1] He previously served as the commander of Task Force Uruzgan part of the International Security Assistance Force from 2 February 2009 until 3 August 2009.[2]

Early life

Middendorp was born on 6 September 1960 in Rheden in the Province of Gelderland.

Military career

Middendorp joined the Dutch Army in 1979, attending officers training at the Koninklijke Militaire Academie in Breda. Opting to join the Engineering Corps, he followed up his academy training with an additional one-year course at the Engineering Training Centre in Vught.

Having completed his training, Middendorp was posted to Ermelo in 1984 where he was given command of an armored engineering unit. He held this command for two years, after which (in 1986) he was transferred to Breda. He was posted to the Defence Real Estate Management Agency regional directorate as head of the project management agency. In 1989 he was transferred to the Dutch Army base in Seedorf, where he assumed the command of the B company, 41st Engineering Battalion.

From 1992 to 1994 Middendorp attended Command School (in Dutch): Hogere Militaire Vorming. Following this training he was posted to the Army staff and put in charge of developing and implementing new real estate management policy in light of the deactivation of the Dutch draft. Completing this posting Middendorp attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College starting in 1996.

In 1997 Middendorp was assigned the post of military assistant to the

Republic of Macedonia and Iraq
.

Following this command, Middendorp was promoted to

armed forces and established several cooperation agreements between the Ministry of Defence
and other ministries.

Towards the end of 2006, Middendorp was posted overseas for his first tour in Afghanistan, as Senior Political Advisor and Deputy NATO Senior Civil Representative (SCR). Mid-2007 he did a short stint with the Dutch Army Command as head of the Command Support Department; he was given command of the 13th Mechanised Brigade in Oirschot on 11 January 2008.

He was posted back to Afghanistan in February 2009 as commanding officer of the multinational Task Force Uruzgan (TFU6, specifically). Returning to the Netherlands he was promoted to major-general in August 2009, and was appointed director of operations of the Royal Netherlands Defence Staff on 24 December.

Middendorp (right) and King Willem-Alexander (centre), 2014

The minister of defence announced Middendorp's selection as next

Four-star general on 28 June 2012, the date on which general Peter van Uhm
transferred command of the Netherlands Defence Staff to him.

In 2014 he carried the sword of state during the inauguration of Willem-Alexander in his capacity as Chief of Defense.

On 28 February 2017 Middendorp was appointed an honorary

Governor General of Australia Sir Peter Cosgrove
.

On 11 January 2018 King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands appointed Middendorp as adjutant in extraordinary service of the King.[3]

Resignation

Middendorp resigned on 3 October 2017 following the publication of a critical report into the death of two Dutch soldiers in a training accident in Mali

Lieutenant admiral Rob Bauer
took on as Chief of Defence.

References

  1. ^ a b "Commandant der Strijdkrachten legt functie neer" [Commander of the Armed Forces puts down function] (in Dutch). Netherlands Ministry of Defence. 3 October 2017.
  2. ^ (in Dutch) Middendorp opvolger Van Uhm, NOS, 28 September 2012
  3. ^ "Koning benoemt Middendorp tot adjudant" (in Dutch). Netherlands Ministry of Defence. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  4. ^ Mali: 2 Peacekeepers Die in Crash, The Associated Press via The New York Times, March 17, 2015
  5. ^ "Dutch defense minister resigns over peacekeepers' deaths in Mali". Reuters. 3 October 2017.

External links

Official
Military offices
Preceded by Commander of the 13th Light Brigade
2008–2009
Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander of Task Force Uruzgan
2009
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Armed forces of the Netherlands

2012–2017
Succeeded by