Commander of the Armed Forces (Suriname)

The Commander of the Armed Forces (Dutch: Commandant van de strijdkrachten) is the professional head of the National Army (Dutch: Nationaal Leger—NL), the military of the Republic of Suriname. The position dates back to the country's independence from the Netherlands in 1975, with the military being named the Surinamese Armed Forces (Dutch: Surinaamse Krijgsmacht—SKM) until after the Sergeants' Coup in 1980.

Commander of the Armed Forces of Suriname
Commandant van de strijdkrachten van Suriname
Coat of arms of Suriname
Incumbent Brigade general Werner Kioe A Sen since 27 October 2022
National Army
Type	Chief of staff
Member of	Security Council
Appointer	President of Suriname Chan Santokhi
Term length	Not fixed
Inaugural holder	Yngwe Elstak
Formation	25 November 1975
Website	Official website

The Commander of the Armed Forces is appointed by the President of Suriname, who is the commander-in-chief according to the Constitution.^[a]

The current Commander of the Armed Forces is Brigade general Werner Kioe A Sen, serving since 27 October 2022.^[1]

List of commanders of the armed forces

No.	Portrait	Commander of the Armed Forces	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch	Ref.
1		Elstak, YngweYngwe Elstak (1927–2010) [b]	25 November 1975	25 February 1980	4 years, 92 days	Surinamese Armed Forces (Surinaamse Krijgsmacht)	–
2		Bouterse, DésiDési Bouterse (born 1945)	July 1980	22 December 1990	10 years, 5 months	National Army (Nationaal Leger)	[2]
–		Graanoogst, IvanIvan Graanoogst Acting [c]	22 December 1990	31 December 1990	9 days	National Army (Nationaal Leger)	–
(2)		Bouterse, DésiDési Bouterse (born 1945)	31 December 1990	3 December 1992	1 year, 11 months	National Army (Nationaal Leger)	[3]
–		Graanoogst, IvanIvan Graanoogst Acting	3 December 1992	15 May 1993	163 days	National Army (Nationaal Leger)	–
3		Gorré, ArthyArthy Gorré [nl] (1950–2018)	15 May 1993	30 June 1995	2 years, 46 days	National Army (Nationaal Leger)	[4][5]
4		Sedney, GlennColonel Glenn Sedney	30 June 1995	1 July 2001	6 years, 1 day	National Army (Nationaal Leger)	–
5		Mercuur, ErnstColonel Ernst Mercuur	1 July 2001	4 February 2010	8 years, 218 days	National Army (Nationaal Leger)	–
6		Gilaard, HedwigColonel Hedwig Gilaard	4 February 2010	10 July 2013	3 years, 156 days	National Army (Nationaal Leger)	[6]
–		Benschop, RonniColonel Ronni Benschop [nl] (born 1955) Acting	10 July 2013	4 February 2014	209 days	National Army (Nationaal Leger)	[7][8]
7		Benschop, RonniBrigadier general Ronni Benschop [nl] (born 1955)	4 February 2014	August 2015	1 year, 5 months	National Army (Nationaal Leger)	[8]
–		Jardim, AdolfColonel Adolf Jardim Acting	August 2015	March 2019	3 years, 7 months	National Army (Nationaal Leger)	[9]
8		Kartodikromo, RobertColonel Robert Kartodikromo	22 March 2019	3 May 2021	2 years, 42 days	National Army (Nationaal Leger)	[10]
–		Axeldongen, Henri vanColonel Henri van Axeldongen Acting	3 May 2021	March 2022	9 months	National Army (Nationaal Leger)	[11]
–		Kioe A Sen, WernerLieutenant Colonel Werner Kioe A Sen Acting	1 April 2022	27 October 2022	209 days	National Army (Nationaal Leger)	[12]
9		Kioe A Sen, WernerBrigade general Werner Kioe A Sen	27 October 2022	Incumbent	2 years, 24 days	National Army (Nationaal Leger)	[1]

Notes

1. Article 100 of the Constitution of 1987.
2. Deposed in the Sergeants' Coup.
3. Staged the Telephone Coup.

See also

• Suriname National Army

References

1. "Kolonel Werner Kioe A Sen officieel bevelhebber Nationaal Leger". gov.sr (in Dutch). Retrieved 12 February 2023.
2. "Suriname Military Chief Resigns, Complaining of a Lack of Support". The New York Times. 24 December 1990. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
3. "Suriname's Army Chief Resigns". The New York Times. 21 November 1992. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
4. (in Dutch) Surinaamse legertop kondigt ontslag aan Archived 25 September 2019 at the Wayback Machine Trouw, 14 May 1993
5. (in Dutch) Nieuwe bevelhebber in Suriname Archived 25 September 2019 at the Wayback Machine Trouw, 30 June 1995
6. (in Dutch) President benoemt Hedwig Gilaard tot bevelhebber Starnieuws, 1 February 2011
7. (in Dutch) Bouterse: Vervanging legerbevelhebber was nodig Starnieuws, 10 July 2013
8. (in Dutch) Benschop wordt officieel legerleider en brigade-generaal Starnieuws, 28 January 2014
9. (in Dutch) Kolonel Adolf Jardim volgt Ronni Benschop op als bevelhebber van het Nationaal Leger De Ware Tijd, 20 August 2015
10. "Nationaal Leger heeft na bijkans drie jaar weer bevelhebber" (in Dutch). 22 March 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
11. (in Dutch) Nieuwe legerleiding gepresenteerd Archived 3 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine Defense Ministry of Suriname, 3 May 2021
12. "Overste Kioe A Sen per 1 april Waarnemend Bevelhebber Nationaal Leger". defense.gov.sr (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.