| Commander of the Navy | |
|---|---|
 Ensign of the Navy | |
| Reports to | Chief of Defence Admiral Benelux |
| Formation | 1831 1939 |
| Abolished | 1862 |
The Commander of the Belgian Navy (French : Commandant de la Composante Marine) is the head of the Naval operations and the administrative head in the Belgian Navy, and is under the Chief of Defence. The current commander is Jan De Beurme.
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| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| Flotilla admiral L. J. J. Robins | 1 July 1955 | 31 March 1962 | 6 years, 273 days | [1] | ||
| Flotilla admiral Louis F. R. Petijean (1901–?) | 1 April 1962 | 19 December 1963 | 1 year, 262 days | [1] | ||
| Flotilla admiral L. L. J. Lurquin (1914–?) | 20 December 1963 | 31 March 1973 | 9 years, 101 days | [1] | ||
| Flotilla admiral Vam J. P. L. Van Dyck (1919–?) | 1 April 1973 | 30 September 1980 | 7 years, 182 days | [1] | ||
| Vice admiral Avi A. J. P. Schlim (1926–?) | 1 October 1980 | 31 December 1985 | 5 years, 91 days | [1] | ||
| Vice admiral Edmond Poullet (1928–2020) | 1 January 1986 | 30 September 1989 | 3 years, 272 days | [1] | ||
| Vice admiral Jozef De Wilde (1931–?) | 1 October 1989 | 31 December 1992 | 3 years, 91 days | [1] | ||
| Vice admiral Willy Herteleer (born 1941) | 1 January 1993 | 30 September 1995 | 2 years, 272 days | [1] | ||
| Vice admiral Michel Verhulst (born 1942) | 1 October 1995 | 30 June 2001 | 5 years, 272 days | [1] | ||
| Vice admiral Michel Hellemans (born 1951) | 1 July 2001 | 31 December 2001 | 183 days | [1] | ||
| Divisional admiral Willy Goethals | 1 January 2002 | 31 December 2005 | 3 years, 364 days | [1] | ||
| Divisional admiral Jean-Paul Robyns | 1 January 2006 | 30 June 2011 | 5 years, 180 days | [1] | ||
 | Divisional admiral Michel Hofman (born 1961) | 30 June 2011 | 6 May 2015 | 3 years, 310 days | [1] | |
| Divisional admiral Georges Heeren | 6 May 2015 | 20 September 2016 | 1 year, 137 days | [2] | ||
| Divisional admiral Wim Robberecht (born 1962) | 20 September 2016 | 28 September 2020 | 4 years, 8 days | [2] [3] | ||
| Divisional admiral Jan De Beurme (born 1965) | 28 September 2020 | Incumbent | 2 years, 263 days | [3] | ||
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, or fleet admiral.
Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral.
Jean Louis Xavier François Darlan was a French admiral and political figure. Born in Nérac, Darlan graduated from the École navale in 1902 and quickly advanced through the ranks following his service during World War I. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1929, vice admiral in 1932, lieutenant admiral in 1937 before finally being made admiral and Chief of the Naval Staff in 1937. In 1939, Darlan was promoted to admiral of the fleet, a rank created specifically for him.
The French Navy, informally La Royale, is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in the world, ranking seventh in combined fleet tonnage and fifth in number of naval vessels. The French Navy is one of eight naval forces currently operating fixed-wing aircraft carriers, with its flagship Charles de Gaulle being the only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier outside the United States Navy, and one of two non-American vessels to use catapults to launch aircraft.
The title chief of staff identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide-de-camp to an important individual, such as a president, or a senior military officer, or leader of a large organization.
An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to Field marshal and Marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral.
The Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET) was the admiral responsible for the operations of the ships, submarines and aircraft of the British Royal Navy from 1971 until April 2012. The post was subordinate to the First Sea Lord, the professional head of the Naval Service. In its last years, as the Navy shrank, more administrative responsibilities were added.
Émile Henry Muselier was a French admiral who led the Free French Naval Forces during World War II. He was responsible for the idea of distinguishing his fleet from that of Vichy France by adopting the Cross of Lorraine, which later became the emblem of all of the Free French. After entering the French Naval Academy in 1899, he embarked on a brilliant and eventful military career. He ran unsuccessfully in the legislative elections of 1946 as vice-president of the Rally of Republican Lefts and then entered private life as a consulting engineer before his retirement in 1960. He is buried in the cemetery of St. Pierre, at Marseilles.
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain.
The Chief of the Naval Staff is a French general officer, adviser to the Chief of the Defence Staff for the French Navy and responsible to the Minister of the Armed Forces for preparing the Navy for its engagement. Since 1 September 2020, the Chief of the Naval Staff has been AdmiralPierre Vandier.
Navy Command is the current headquarters body of the Royal Navy, and as of 2012 its major organisational grouping. It is a hybrid, neither a command, nor simply an installation. Royal Navy official writings describe Navy Command Headquarters both as a physical site, on Whale Island, Hampshire, a collective formed of the most senior RN officers, and as a budgetary grouping.
The Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy is the institutional head of the Royal Canadian Navy. This appointment also includes the title Chief of the Naval Staff and is based at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario. This individual reports to the Chief of the Defence Staff, who then responds to the Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Jan Christian Kaack is a Vizeadmiral of the German Navy and as of March 11th, 2022 Inspector of the Navy.
André-Georges Lemonnier was a French admiral.
The Madagascar Navy is the maritime component of the Madagascar People's Armed Forces. The Madagascar Navy is under-equipped and undergoes difficulties in accomplishing its mission of maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, and controlling the illegal fishing in the Malagasy exclusive economic zone.
Michel Hofman serves as the Chief of Defence of the Belgian Armed Forces since 10 July 2020. Prior to his post, he served as the Vice Chief of Defence.
Pierre Vandier is a French naval officer. As of 1 September 2020, he serves as Chief of Staff of the French Navy.