TheMinistry of Defence (Dutch:Ministerie van Landsverdediging,French:Ministère de la Défense,German:Ministerium der Verteidigung), formerly called theMinistry of War andMinistry of National Defence, is theBelgian ministry responsible for national defence and theBelgian military. Belgium'sministry of defence is responsible to the Minister of Defence.
As a result of theVerhofstadt I Government's plans to modernise the federal administration, all other ministries were transformed intoFederal Public Services (FPS), but in August 2007 there still was noRoyal Order creating theFPS Defence, although that name is already in use on official websites.
TheChief 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 theGeneral Intelligence and Security Service and is responsible formilitary intelligence and security.
| 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 | .jpg) | Ludivine Dedonder (born 1977) | 1 October 2020 | 3 February 2025 | 4 years, 125 days | PS | De Croo |
| 8 | .jpg) | Theo Francken (born 1978) | 3 February 2025 | Incumbent | 1 year, 12 days* | N-VA | De Wever |
* Incumbent's term duration last updated: 15 February 2026.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
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