Chief of Staff, Belgian Navy

Biography

In 1983 he joins the Royal Military Academy and graduates in nautical and military sciences. After graduation in 1988 he starts his professional career on board different mine-counter-measure vessels and frigates. In 1990, he attends at the Operational School in Den Helder, Netherlands, the course “Principal Warfare Officer with additional tickets as Navigation & Action Information and Helicopter Control Officer”. After this year of specialization, he serves on board the frigate “F913 Westhinder”. Meanwhile, he continued studying at the Free University Brussels and the Newport University and graduated as Master of Arts in the Political Sciences (International Relations) and Master of Arts in Human Behavior. In 1993, he is appointed Flag Lieutenant to the Chief of Naval Staff and later to the Belgian Chief of Defence. In 1997, he returns on board frigates “F912 Wandelaar” and “F910 Wielingen” as Head of the Operations Department. In 1997, on completion of his pre-commander course, he is given his first command at sea of the minehunter “M917 Crocus”. As commanding officer, he sails as part of the permanent NATO squadron of mine-counter-measures vessels “STANAVFORCHAN”. In 1999, as a Lieutenant-commander, he assumes command of the Belgian Navy Nautical School and in 2001, as Commander, he serves as a staff officer in the Personnel Branch of the Joint Staff within the Personnel Division. He graduates from the Staff College cum laude in 2004 and is promoted Commander senior grade in September 2006. From 2004 till end 2007, he is appointed to the personal staff of the Assistant Chief of Defence Strategy of the Joint Staff. During this appointment, he is responsible for the replacement program of the Wielingen class frigates and in January 2008, he is called to be the first commanding officer of the frigate “F931 Louise-Marie”, Belgium acquired in the framework of the reinvestment-programs. In the two years as commanding officer, he brings the ship for the first time up to its operational level and participates in the operation “ATALANTA” in the Indian Ocean. In 2010 he is appointed as Assistant Chief of Staff Plans to the Netherlands Maritime Force Maritime Battle Staff and becomes Chief of Staff of that same Battle Staff in 2012. In the period 2014-2015 he joins the NATO Maritime Command Headquarters in Northwood (United Kingdom) as the Director of Management. In 2016, Captain De Beurme returns to the Belgian Navy Staff as Chief of Staff and Policy Director. In September 2019, as a result of a Navy Staff restructuring, he becomes Chief of Staff and acts as line chief of the Navy Directors “Operations”, “Operations Support” and “Policy”. Born in Deinze in 1965, married to Ann De Jaeger and father of three sons, he is living in the country-region of Sint-Laureins. He has been awarded the following honorary distinctions: Commander in the Order of the Crown, Officer in the Order of Leopold, Military Cross First Class, National Award for Operations abroad, the WEU-medal for the participation in the operations ‘Sharp Guard’ and ‘Sharp Vigilence’ and the EU-Service-medal for participation in the operation ‘Atalanta’.