Dick Berlijn Explained

Honorific Prefix:General
Dick Lodewijk Berlijn
Nickname:"Quicky"[1]
Office:Chief of Defence
Term Start:5 June 2004
Term End:17 April 2008
Predecessor:Lieutenant admiral Luuk Kroon
Successor:General Peter van Uhm
Birth Date:18 March 1950
Birth Place:Amsterdam
Allegiance: Netherlands
Serviceyears:1969–2008
Rank: General
Commands:Chief of the Netherlands Defence Staff
Battles:UNIFIL, Operation Deny Flight, ISAF, War in Afghanistan

General Dick Lodewijk Berlijn (born March 18, 1950, in Amsterdam) is a retired Royal Netherlands Air Force four-star general, who served as Chief of Defence of the Netherlands (Chief of the Netherlands Defence Staff) from 2004, when he succeeded Lt. Adm. Luuk Kroon, until 2008, when he was succeeded by Gen. Peter van Uhm. In 2005, the post was renamed from Chef-Defensiestaf to Commandant der Strijdkrachten ("Commander of the Armed Forces") following a reorganisation, but the term "Chief of Defence Staff" is still the one usually used in English translations. His office saw Dutch military presence in Uruzgan with ISAF, as well as naval contributions to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, among other interventions. He has been awarded[2] with the Légion d'honneur and the Legion of merit, and the Order of Orange-Nassau, all in the degree of commander, and the Order of Orange-Nassau with swords. Berlijn graduated from the Koninklijke Militaire Academie in 1973.[3]

Awards and honours

Commander in the Order of Orange-Nassau with the Swords
Commander in the Legion of Merit
Commander in the Legion of Honour
Cross for the Four Day Marches
Officers Cross
NATO Medal for the former Yugoslavia

Notes and References

  1. http://www.ad.nl/binnenland/2228304/lsquoQuickyrsquo_moet__onthaasten.html Article on Dick Berlijn in AD
  2. http://www.nato.int/cv/chod/nl/berlijn-e.htm Awards of Dick Berlijn on NATO website
  3. http://www.nato.int/cv/chod/nl/berlijn-e.htm Dick Berlijn on the NATO website