The Ministry of Defence is the Belgian

Belgium

Belgium , 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...

 ministry responsible for national defence and the Belgian military

Military of Belgium

The Belgian Army is the national military of Belgium. The Belgian Army was established after Belgium became independent in October 1830...

. As a result of the first Verhofstadt

Guy Verhofstadt

Guy Verhofstadt is a Belgian politician who was the 47th Prime Minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008. He is currently a Member of the European Parliament and leader of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.- Early career :...

 Government

Belgian federal government

The Cabinet of Belgium is the executive branch of the Belgian federal government, consisting of ministers and secretaries of state drawn from the political parties which form the governing coalition. Formally, the ministers are appointed by the King...

'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, Pieter de Crem (Christian Democratic and Flemish).

The Chief of Defence

Chief of Defence (Belgium)

The Chief of Defence , abbreviated as CHOD, is the professional head and commander of the Belgian Armed Forces. He is the highest official within the Ministry of Defence and the Chief of the Defence Staff. He reports directly to the Minister of Defence and is responsible for advising the Minister,...

 (CHOD) is the highest official in the Ministry of Defence. General August Van Daele is the Chief of Defence since 1 January 2003. 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

General Intelligence and Security Service

Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst , formerly known as the BVD is the General Intelligence and Security Service or The Secret service of the Netherlands. The office is in Zoetermeer...

 and is responsible for military intelligence

Military intelligence

Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....

 and security.

Ministers of Defence

Year	Minister	Party
1831	Albert Goblet d'Alviella	Liberal
1831	Charles d'Hane de Steenhuyze	Liberal
1831	V. de Failly	Liberal
1831–1832	Charles de Brouckère Charles de Brouckère Jonkheer Charles Joseph Marie Ghislain de Brouckère was a Belgian nobleman and liberal politician.Born in Bruges, elder brother of future Prime Minister of Belgium Henri de Brouckère, Charles entered politics in the period when modern Belgium formed the southern part of the United Kingdom of the...	Liberal
1832	Félix de Merode Félix de Mérode Philippe Félix Balthasar Otto Ghislain, Count de Merode , known as Félix de Merode, was a Belgian politician....	Liberal
1832–1836	Louis Evain
1836–1840	Jean-Pierre Willmar	Liberal
1840–1842	Gérard Buzen	Liberal
1842–1843	Henri de Liem	Liberal
1843	Léandre Desmaisières	Liberal
1843–1846	Pierre Dupont Pierre Dupont Pierre Dupont , French song-writer, the son of a blacksmith, was born in Lyon.His parents both died before he was five years old, and he was brought up in the country by his godfather, a village priest. He was educated at the seminary of L'Argentire, and was afterwards apprenticed to a notary at Lyon...	Liberal
1846	Jules Joseph d'Anethan	Katholieke Partij
1846–1847	Albert Prisse	Katholieke Partij
1847–1850	Félix Chazal	Liberal
1850–1851	Mathieu Brialmont	Liberal
1851–1855	Victor Anoul	Liberal
1855–1857	Léonard Greindl
1857–1859	Edouard Berten	Liberal
1859–1866	Félix Chazal	Liberal
1866–1868	Auguste Goethals	Liberal
1868–1870	Bruno Renard	technicus
1870–1873	Henri Guillaume	technicus
1873–1878	Séraphin Thiebault	technicus
1878–1879	Bruno Renard	technicus
1879–1880	Jean-Baptiste Liagre	technicus
1880–1884	Guillaume Gratry	technicus
1884–1893	Charles Pontus	technicus
1893–1896	Jacques Brassine	technicus
1896–1899	Jules Vandenpeereboom Jules Vandenpeereboom Jules Henri Pierre François Vandenpeereboom was a Belgian Catholic Party politician.Vandenpeereboom was born in Kortrijk and educated as a lawyer...	Katholieke Partij
1899–1907	Alexandre Cousebandt d'Alkemade	technicus
1907–1912	Joseph Hellebaut	technicus
1912	Charles de Broqueville Charles de Broqueville Charles Marie Pierre Albert, Count de Broqueville was the 20th Prime Minister of Belgium, serving during World War I. He was born in Postel, Belgium. He was the leader of Belgium's Catholic Party, and he served as prime minister between 1911 and 1918...	Katholieke Partij
1912	Victor Michel	technicus
1912–1917	Charles de Broqueville Charles de Broqueville Charles Marie Pierre Albert, Count de Broqueville was the 20th Prime Minister of Belgium, serving during World War I. He was born in Postel, Belgium. He was the leader of Belgium's Catholic Party, and he served as prime minister between 1911 and 1918...	Katholieke Partij
1917–1918	Armand De Ceuninck	technicus
1917–1918	Emile Vandervelde Emile Vandervelde thumb|upright|Emile VanderveldeEmile Vandervelde was a Belgian statesman, born at Ixelles. He studied law at the Free University of Brussels and became doctor of laws in 1885 and doctor of social science in 1888.-Activities:Vandervelde became a member of the Parti Ouvrier...	BWP
1918–1920	Fulgence Masson	Liberal
1920	Paul-Emile Janson Paul-Emile Janson Paul-Emile Janson was a Belgian liberal politician.Born in Brussels, Janson was the son of liberal statesman Paul Janson . He studied law at the Free University of Brussels , practised as a lawyer, and also taught at the university...	Liberal
1920–1923	Albert Devèze Albert Devèze Albert Joseph Charles Devèze was a Belgian liberal politician and minister. Devèze was a doctor in law and a lawyer. He was a liberal municipality Council member in Schaerbeek and in Ixelles and a member of parliament for the district of Brussels and for the district of Verviers...	Liberal
1923–1925	Pierre Forthomme	Liberal
1925	Albert Hellebaut	technicus
1925–1926	Prosper Kestens	technicus
1926	Prosper Poullet Prosper Poullet Prosper Antoine Marie Joseph, Viscount Poullet was a Belgian politician.Born in Leuven, Poullet studied law at the Catholic University of Leuven and was later a professor at the university. He was of member of K.A.V...	Katholieke Partij
1926–1931	Charles de Broqueville Charles de Broqueville Charles Marie Pierre Albert, Count de Broqueville was the 20th Prime Minister of Belgium, serving during World War I. He was born in Postel, Belgium. He was the leader of Belgium's Catholic Party, and he served as prime minister between 1911 and 1918...	Katholieke Partij
1931–1932	Léon Dens Léon Dens Léon Pierre Alphonse Dens was a Belgian liberal politician and shipowner.-Political career:* 1925–1940: senator for the district Antwerp* 1931–1932: minister of defense...	Liberal
1932	Paul Crokaert	Katholieke Partij
1932	Georges Theunis Georges Theunis Georges Emile Léonard Theunis was the 24th Prime Minister of Belgium from 16 December 1921 to 13 May 1925 and again from 20 November 1934 to 25 March 1935. He was governor of the National Bank of Belgium from 1941 until 1944.He received a military training and was also trained as an engineer...	Katholieke Partij
1932–1936	Albert Devèze Albert Devèze Albert Joseph Charles Devèze was a Belgian liberal politician and minister. Devèze was a doctor in law and a lawyer. He was a liberal municipality Council member in Schaerbeek and in Ixelles and a member of parliament for the district of Brussels and for the district of Verviers...	Liberal
1936–1940	Henri Denis	technicus
1940–1944	Hubert Pierlot Hubert Pierlot Hubert Marie Eugène, Count Pierlot was a Belgian Walloon politician and jurist, the 32nd Prime Minister of Belgium between 1939 and 1945 .-Biography:He was a representative of the Catholic Party Hubert Marie Eugène, Count Pierlot (23 December 1883, Cugnon (Bertrix) – 13 December 1963, Uccle)...	Katholieke Partij
*1942	Henri Rolin	BWP
1944–1945	Fernand Demets Fernand Demets Fernand Charles Gustave Demets was a Belgian liberal politician, burgomaster and minister. Demets was industrialist and became municipality Council member and burgomaster in Anderlecht and liberal senator in the district Brussels. Demets was co-president of the Liberal Party...	Liberal
1945–1946	Léon Mundeleer	Liberal
1946–1949	Raoul de Fraiteur	technicus
1949–1950	Albert Devèze Albert Devèze Albert Joseph Charles Devèze was a Belgian liberal politician and minister. Devèze was a doctor in law and a lawyer. He was a liberal municipality Council member in Schaerbeek and in Ixelles and a member of parliament for the district of Brussels and for the district of Verviers...	Liberal
1950	Henri Moreau de Melen	Christian Social Party
1950–1954	Etienne De Greef	technicus
1954–1958	Antoon Spinoy	BSP
1958–1961	Arthur Gilson	Christian Social Party
1961–1965	Paul-Willem Segers	CVP
1965–1966	Ludovic Moyersoen	CVP
1966–1968	Charles Poswick Charles Poswick Charles Marie Jean Joseph Elvire Ghislain baron Poswick was a Belgian politician for the PLP. Poswick was doctor in Law and licentiate in commercial and financial sciences.He became para-commando and broker...	PLP
1968–1972	Paul-Willem Segers	CVP
1972–1979	Paul Vanden Boeynants Paul Vanden Boeynants Paul Emile François Henri Vanden Boeynants was a Belgian politician. He served as the 41st Prime Minister of Belgium for two brief periods ....	Christian Social Party, PSC
1979–1980	José Desmarets	Christian Social Party, PSC
1980	Charles Poswick Charles Poswick Charles Marie Jean Joseph Elvire Ghislain baron Poswick was a Belgian politician for the PLP. Poswick was doctor in Law and licentiate in commercial and financial sciences.He became para-commando and broker...	PRL
1980–1981	Frank Swaelen Frank Swaelen Frank Swaelen was a Belgian Christian Democratic politician and member of the Christian People's Party . He was born in Antwerp. In 1968, he became a member of the Chamber of Representatives...	CVP
1981–1985	Alfred Vreven Alfred Vreven Alfred Marie Daniel Ghislain Joseph Vreven was a Belgian liberal politician for the PVV....	PVV
1985–1988	François-Xavier de Donnéa François-Xavier de Donnéa François Xavier Gustave Marie Joseph Corneille Hubert, Knight de Donnea de Hamoir is a Belgian politician and a former mayor of the City of Brussels and Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region....	PRL
1988–1992	Guy Coëme Guy Coëme Guy Coëme is a Francophone Belgian politician for the Socialist Party .Coëme served as minister of defence in the government Martens VIII and IX. In the first cabinet Dehaene, he was promoted to deputy prime minister and served as minister of transport...	PS
1992–1994	Leo Delcroix	CVP
1994–1995	Karel Pinxten	CVP
1995	Melchior Wathelet Melchior Wathelet Melchior H.M.J.F.C. Wathelet is a Belgian politician and member of the Humanist Democratic Centre. He has degrees in law and in economics and is a Master of Laws . He's also a professor at the Catholic University of Louvain and the Université de Liège...	Christian Social Party, PSC
1995–1999	Jean-Pol Poncelet	Christian Social Party, PSC
1999–2007	André Flahaut André Flahaut André M.J.Gh. Flahaut is a Belgian politician. He was born on 18 August 1955 in Walhain, then in the province of Brabant and now in the province of Walloon Brabant. Flahaut studied political sciences and public administration at the Université Libre de Bruxelles.He joined the Socialist Party in...	PS
2007-current	Pieter De Crem Pieter De Crem Pieter Frans Norbert Jozef Raymond De Crem is a Belgian, Flemish politician and member of Christian Democratic and Flemish . He is the current Minister of Defense in the Belgian federal government. He has been a Member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives since 1995. He headed the CD&V...	CD&V

External links

• Website of Defence Belgium