Dick Berlijn

General Dick Berlijn retired from the Dutch Armed Forces in 2008 as Chief of Defense. Trained in Canada as a pilot and following his operational time as an F-16 fighter pilot, Commander of the Tactical Air Force (1998) and Commander of the Air Force (2000), in 2005 he became Chief of Dutch Armed Forces. As such he was the highest ranking officer, commanding the Dutch forces - Navy, Army and Air Force - and acting as the main advisor to the Defense minister. In addition to being responsible for the operations of the Dutch military abroad, he was responsible for the many reorganizations of the armed forces during that period. During his tenure the Dutch Armed Forces were active in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Arabian Gulf and the African continent. After his retirement he worked within Deloitte’s Risk Services practice, where he was involved in advisory engagements, usually focusing on Public Order and Safety, Cyber security, strategy, risk management in general and leadership. He was a member of the board of the Dutch Red Cross, advisory board member of the Dutch Victim Support organization and various other advisory boards. He is currently associate partner of Hague Corporate Affairs.