en.wikipedia.org

Frederik Vansina - Wikipedia

  • ️Fri Jul 03 1964

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Frederik Vansina

Vansina in 2016

Birth nameFrederik Vansina
Born3 July 1964 (age 60)
Bern, Switzerland
Allegiance Belgium
Service / branch Belgian Air Component
Years of service1987–present
Rank General
CommandsChief of Defence
Vice-Chief of Defence
Commander, Belgian Air Component
10th Tactical Wing
Battles / warsWar in Afghanistan
Operation Unified Protector

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]