Admiral BENELUX (ABNL)
Encyclopedia
The Admiral BENELUX is the Commanding Officer
of the combined military staff of the Royal Netherlands Navy
and the Naval Component of the Belgian Armed Forces
.
The position of ABNL was created together with the combination of the Staffs of the two contributing navies on March 28, 1995 in the BENESAM Accord. The ABNL is responsible for the combined operations of the Dutch and Belgian navies and can be tasked with the responsibility for the operational readiness and deployment of the combined fleets in joint operations, both in war- and peacetime operations. Most of all the ABNL is responsible for the efficient use of joint material and personnel and oversees the joint training programs of the two navies.
. The DABNL position is held by the Commander of the Belgian Naval Component. The DOPS is headquartered with the Royal Netherlands Navy
in Den Helder
.
The main body of the ABNL command is the DOPS, although there is also a Directorate of Operational Support (DOST). The two together have operational control of the operational units of the two fleets. DOPS is divided into three branches: command, operational and support.
and the Belgian Navy
. This cooperation was first geared at mutual battlefield cooperation and later at mutual defense in the Cold War
, but later came to focus more and more on efficient use of equipment and personnel (also driven by cutbacks in military spending after the collapse of the Soviet Union
).
The ABNL was created in a series of treaties known as the Belgium-Netherlands Cooperation Accord (BENESAM, for Belgisch-Nederlandse Samenwerking), starting in 1948:
The BENESAM Accord is currently undergoing revision, with an eye towards even closer cooperation between the two fleets.
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of the combined military staff of the Royal Netherlands Navy
Royal Netherlands Navy
The Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
and the Naval Component of the Belgian Armed Forces
Belgian Navy
The Marine Component of the Belgian Army, formerly the Belgian Naval Force, is the naval service of Belgium.-Early history:The Belgian Navy was created as the Marine Royale in 1831. This force has operated in various forms throughout Belgian history.When after the Belgian Revolution, the country...
.
The position of ABNL was created together with the combination of the Staffs of the two contributing navies on March 28, 1995 in the BENESAM Accord. The ABNL is responsible for the combined operations of the Dutch and Belgian navies and can be tasked with the responsibility for the operational readiness and deployment of the combined fleets in joint operations, both in war- and peacetime operations. Most of all the ABNL is responsible for the efficient use of joint material and personnel and oversees the joint training programs of the two navies.
Organizational structure
The Admiral BENELUX (ABNL) is the commanding officer of the joint staffs who, together, form the Directorate of Operations (DOPS). The ABNL is assisted by the Deputy ABNL (DABNL). Under the terms of the BENESAM Accord, the ABNL position is held by the Commander of the Royal Netherlands NavyCommander of the Royal Netherlands Navy
The Commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy is the highest-ranking officer of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The CZsk reports directly to the Chief of the Netherlands Defence Staff....
. The DABNL position is held by the Commander of the Belgian Naval Component. The DOPS is headquartered with the Royal Netherlands Navy
Royal Netherlands Navy
The Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
in Den Helder
Den Helder
Den Helder is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula...
.
The main body of the ABNL command is the DOPS, although there is also a Directorate of Operational Support (DOST). The two together have operational control of the operational units of the two fleets. DOPS is divided into three branches: command, operational and support.
- The command section of DOPS consists of the Staff Bureau and the Maritime Situation Center (MARSITCEN). The MARSITCEN is organized into a NATO standard N-structure and functions as the link of DOPS to the Belgian and Dutch Naval Command Centers.
- The operations branch of DOPS consists mainly of the Netherlands Maritime Force (NLMARFOR). NLMARFOR consists of the operational staff that can take direct command to execute missions and is equipped with the logistics facilities to coordinate naval missions and exercises. In addition to NLMARFOR, the operations branch of DOPS consists of the joint training programs for naval personnel: the Sea Training Command (STC) for the navies and the Marine Training Command (MTC) for the marine corps.
- The support branch of DOPS consists of the Marine Warfare Centre (MWC). This center comprises two different groups (the Maritime Doctrine and Tactics Centre and the Centre for Operational Data, Analysis and METOC). The MWC is responsible for analysis and management of operational, tactical and strategic data used by DOPS.
History of the ABNL command
The combined staff (sometimes referred to as the Benelux Admiralty) is a result of developing naval cooperation between the Royal Netherlands NavyRoyal Netherlands Navy
The Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
and the Belgian Navy
Belgian Navy
The Marine Component of the Belgian Army, formerly the Belgian Naval Force, is the naval service of Belgium.-Early history:The Belgian Navy was created as the Marine Royale in 1831. This force has operated in various forms throughout Belgian history.When after the Belgian Revolution, the country...
. This cooperation was first geared at mutual battlefield cooperation and later at mutual defense in the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, but later came to focus more and more on efficient use of equipment and personnel (also driven by cutbacks in military spending after the collapse of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
).
The ABNL was created in a series of treaties known as the Belgium-Netherlands Cooperation Accord (BENESAM, for Belgisch-Nederlandse Samenwerking), starting in 1948:
- 10 May 1948: Signing of the first BENESAM Accord.
- 27 March 1975: The ABNL is established for wartime operations.
- 15 October 1985: Revision of the BENESAM Accord.
- 28 March 1995: The DutchNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
State Secretary of Defence and the BelgianBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
Minister of DefenceMinistry of Defence (Belgium)The Ministry of Defence is the Belgian ministry responsible for national defence and the Belgian military. As a result of the first Verhofstadt Government's plans to modernise the federal administration, all other ministries were transformed into Federal Public Services but in August 2007 there...
sign the ABNL Accord. - 29 May 1995: The Commander of Dutch Naval Forces (Commandant Zeemacht Nederland (CZMNED)) and the Belgian Chief of Naval Staff (Stafchef Zeemacht (ZS)) sign an accord regarding operational cooperation.
- 1 January 1996: The ABNL command is established in the Naval Headquarters and Coast Guard Centre (MHKC) in Den HelderDen HelderDen Helder is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula...
. - 1 May 1996: The Commander of Dutch Naval Forces (Commandant Zeemacht Nederland (CZMNED)) and the Belgian Chief of Naval Staff (Stafchef Zeemacht (ZS)) sign an accord regarding joint training.
The BENESAM Accord is currently undergoing revision, with an eye towards even closer cooperation between the two fleets.