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The Ministry of Defence (Dutch: Ministerie van Landsverdediging, French: Ministère de la Défense, German: Ministerium der Verteidigung), formerly called the Ministry of War and Ministry of National Defence, is the Belgian ministry responsible for national defence and the Belgian military. Belgium's ministry of defence is responsible to the Minister of Defence.
As a result of the Verhofstadt I Government's plans to modernise the federal administration, all other ministries were transformed into Federal Public Services (FPS), but in August 2007 there still was no Royal Order creating the FPS Defence, although that name is already in use on official websites. The Ministry of Defence is responsible to the Minister of Defence.
The Chief of Defence (CHOD) is the highest uniformed official in the Ministry of Defence. The CHOD is assisted in the exercise of his functions by a Vice-Chief of Defence (VCHOD) and a Secretary-General.
The Ministry of Defence is organised into multiple staff departments and directorates-general. The Armed Forces are subordinate to the Assistant Chief of Staff (ACOS) Operations and Training, who heads the Staff Department for Operations and Training. He is assisted by two Deputy Assistant Chiefs of Staff (DACOS), one for Operations and Planning and one for Training and Support.
Another staff department is the Staff Department for Intelligence and Security, which is led by the ACOS Intelligence and Security. This staff department is also known as the General Intelligence and Security Service and is responsible for military intelligence and security.
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| Year | Photo | Minister | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1831 |  | Albert Goblet d'Alviella | Liberal |
| 1831 | Charles d'Hane de Steenhuyze | Liberal | |
| 1831 |  | Amédée de Failly | Liberal |
| 1831–1832 |  | Charles de Brouckère | Liberal |
| 1832 |  | Félix de Merode | Liberal |
| 1832–1836 |  | Louis Evain | ? |
| 1836–1840 |  | Jean-Pierre Willmar | Liberal |
| 1840–1842 |  | Gérard Buzen | Liberal |
| 1842–1843 | Henri de Liem | Liberal | |
| 1843 |  | Léandre Desmaisières | Liberal |
| 1843–1846 | Pierre Dupont | Liberal | |
| 1846 |  | Jules Joseph d'Anethan | Catholic |
| 1846–1847 |  | Albert Prisse | Catholic |
| 1847–1850 |  | Félix Chazal | Liberal |
| 1850–1851 | Mathieu Brialmont | Liberal | |
| 1851–1855 | Victor Anoul | Liberal | |
| 1855–1857 |  | Léonard Greindl | ? |
| 1857–1859 | Edouard Berten | Liberal | |
| 1859–1866 | | Félix Chazal | Liberal |
| 1866–1868 | Auguste Goethals | Liberal | |
| 1868–1870 | Bruno Renard | None (technical expert) | |
| 1870–1873 | .jpg) | Gustave Henri Louis Guillaume | None (technical expert) |
| 1873–1878 | Séraphin Thiebault | None (technical expert) | |
| 1878–1879 | Bruno Renard | None (technical expert) | |
| 1879–1880 |  | Jean-Baptiste Liagre | None (technical expert) |
| 1880–1884 |  | Guillaume Gratry | None (technical expert) |
| 1884–1893 |  | Charles Pontus | None (technical expert) |
| 1893–1896 | Jacques Brassine | None (technical expert) | |
| 1896–1899 |  | Jules Vandenpeereboom | Catholic |
| 1899–1907 | Alexandre Cousebandt d'Alkemade | None (technical expert) | |
| 1907–1912 |  | Joseph Hellebaut | None (technical expert) |
| 1912 |  | Charles de Broqueville | Catholic |
| 1912 | Victor Michel | None (technical expert) | |
| 1912–1917 | | Charles de Broqueville | Catholic |
| 1917–1918 | .jpg) | Armand De Ceuninck | None (technical expert) |
| 1918–1920 | Fulgence Masson | Liberal | |
| 1920 |  | Paul-Emile Janson | Liberal |
| 1920–1923 | _door_Marcel_Rau_-_Wikibruz17.jpg) | Albert Devèze | Liberal |
| 1923–1925 | Pierre Forthomme | Liberal | |
| 1925 | Albert Hellebaut | None (technical expert) | |
| 1925–1926 |  | Prosper Kestens | None (technical expert) |
| 1926 |  | Prosper Poullet | Catholic |
| 1926–1931 | | Charles de Broqueville | Catholic |
| 1931–1932 | Léon Dens | Liberal | |
| 1932 | Paul Crokaert | Catholic | |
| 1932 |  | Georges Theunis | Catholic |
| 1932–1936 | | Albert Devèze | Liberal |
| 1936–1940 | Henri Denis | None (technical expert) | |
| 1940–1944 |  | Hubert Pierlot | Catholic |
| *1942 | Henri Rolin | POB-BWP | |
| 1944–1945 | Fernand Demets | Liberal | |
| 1945–1946 | Léon Mundeleer | Liberal | |
| 1946–1949 | Raoul de Fraiteur | None (technical expert) | |
| 1949–1950 | | Albert Devèze | Liberal |
| 1950 | Henri Moreau de Melen | Christian Social Party | |
| 1950–1954 |  | Eugène De Greef | None (technical expert) |
| 1954–1958 | Antoon Spinoy | PSB-BSP | |
| 1958–1961 | Arthur Gilson | Christian Social Party | |
| 1961–1965 |  | Paul-Willem Segers | CVP |
| 1965–1966 | Ludovic Moyersoen | CVP | |
| 1966–1968 | Charles Poswick | PLP | |
| 1968–1972 | | Paul-Willem Segers | CVP |
| 1972–1979 |  | Paul Vanden Boeynants | PSC |
| 1979–1980 | José Desmarets | PSC | |
| 1980 | Charles Poswick | PRL | |
| 1980–1981 | Frank Swaelen | CVP | |
| 1981–1985 | Alfred Vreven | PVV | |
| 1985–1988 |  | François-Xavier de Donnéa | PRL |
| 1988–1992 | Guy Coëme | PS | |
| 1992–1994 | Leo Delcroix | CVP | |
| 1994–1995 |  | Karel Pinxten | CVP |
| 1995 |  | Melchior Wathelet | PSC |
| 1995–1999 | Jean-Pol Poncelet | PSC |
2000s
| No. | Portrait | Name (Born-Died) |
Term | Political Party | Government | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Duration | |||||
| 1 | André Flahaut (born 1955) | 12 July 1999 | 21 December 2007 | 8 years, 162 days | PS | Verhofstadt I–II | |
| 2 | Pieter De Crem (born 1962) | 21 December 2007 | 11 October 2014 | 6 years, 294 days | CD&V | Verhofstadt III Leterme I Van Rompuy Leterme II Di Rupo | |
| 3 | Steven Vandeput (born 1967) | 11 October 2014 | 12 November 2018 | 4 years, 32 days | N-VA | Michel I | |
| 4 | Sander Loones (born 1979) | 12 November 2018 | 9 December 2018 | 27 days | N-VA | Michel I | |
| 5 | Didier Reynders (born 1958) | 9 December 2018 | 30 November 2019 | 356 days | MR | Michel II Wilmès I | |
| 6 | Philippe Goffin (born 1967) | 30 November 2019 | 1 October 2020 | 306 days | MR | Wilmès I Wilmès II | |
| 7 | Ludivine Dedonder (born 1977) | 1 October 2020 | Incumbent | 4 years, 87 days* | PS | De Croo | |
* Incumbent's term duration last updated: 27 December 2024.
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