Frederik Vansina (born 3 July 1964) is an aviator in the Belgian Air Component and Chief of Defence of the Belgian Armed Forces.
Frederik Vansina (born 3 July 1964) is an aviator in the Belgian Air Component and Chief of Defence of the Belgian Armed Forces.
Vansina was born in Bern, Switzerland, to a diplomatic family and travelled a lot as a child. [1] He graduated from the Royal Military Academy in 1987 and became a fighter pilot in the 350th Squadron. [1] He served as chief of operations for the Belgian-Dutch contingent in Operation Allied Force.
In 2009 he was appointed commander of Kleine Brogel Air Base and oversaw the deployment of F-16s to the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan as well as in the 2011 military intervention in Libya. He was named head of the Belgian Air Component in 2013, and took office in 2014, [2] overseeing Belgian involvement in the multinational campaign against Islamic State. [3]
Vansina became Vice-Chief of Defence in 2023. [1] On 4 July 2024 he succeeded Admiral Michel Hofman as Chief of Defence. [4]
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