Dick Berlijn
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]
Dick Lodewijk Berlijn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname(s) | "Quicky"[1] |
| Born | March 18, 1950 Amsterdam |
| Allegiance | Netherlands |
| Service/ | Royal Netherlands Air Force |
| Years of service | 1973-2008 |
| Rank |  General |
| Commands held | Chief of the Netherlands Defence Staff |
| Battles/wars | UNIFIL, Operation Deny Flight, ISAF, War in Afghanistan |
| Awards | Legion of Merit, NATO Medal, Order of Orange-Nassau, Légion d´honneur |
References
| New title | Chief of Defence 5 September 2005-17 April 2008 |
Succeeded by Peter van Uhm |
| Preceded by Luuk Kroon |
Chief of the Netherlands Defence Staff (old, Chef-Defensiestaf) 2004-5 September 2005 |
Position discontinued |