Chief of the Royal Danish Army

The Chief of the Army Command, is the top most authority in the Royal Danish Army. It can trace its history back to the creation of the General Staff, in 1808. The current chief of the army, Major general Hans-Christian Mathiesen, has been temporarily suspended following claims of nepotism.[1] On 31 January 2019, the Judge Advocate Corps announced that they decided to charge Mathiesen for misuse of services and gross dereliction of duty.[2]

Chief of the Army Command Chef for Hærkommandoen
Flag for the Chief of the General Command (1922–1950)
Incumbent Michael Lollesgaard since 1 September 2019
Royal Danish Army
Member of	Defence Command of Denmark
Reports to	Chief of Defence
Term length	No fixed length
Precursor	Chief of the Army Operational Command
Formation	20 January 1808 (historical) 1 October 2014 (current)
First holder	Frantz Bülow as Chief of the General staff
Deputy	Deputy Chief of the Army Command
Website	Official Website

History

The General Staff was established, during the English Wars on 20 January 1808, as the General Adjutant and General Quartermaster Staff.[3] Following the dismissal of Frantz Bülow, the staff was split into two separate staffs.[4] In 1856, the General Staff's Topographical Department was subjugated to the Ministry of Finance. However, all communication still had to go through the Chief of the General Staff. This created unnecessary bureaucracy, leading to the removal of the position of the Chief of the General Staff.[5]

With the outbreak of the Second Schleswig War, command of the army was given to the Supreme General. Following the end of the war, the position of Chief of the General Staff, was re-established. In 1922, the General Staff was changed to the General Command.[6] With the creation of the Defence Staff and Chief of Defence, the General Command was replaced by the Army Command.[7] After the Army Command was subjugated to the Defence Command in 1976, the Army Command changed name to the Army Staff.[8] In 1982, the title of Chief of the Army was changed to become Inspector of the Army.[9] Following the 1988 Defence Commission, it was decided that the Army Staff and the positions of Inspector would be removed and then create the Army Operational Command.[10][11] Following the Danish Defence Agreement 2013–17, the Army Operational Command was disbanded and reorganised into the Army Staff. As part of the Danish Defence Agreement 2018–23, the Danish name was changed Army Command.[12]

List of chiefs

Chief of the General Staff (1808–1922)

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

No.	Portrait	Chief of the General staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
1		Bülow, FrantzLieutenant general Frantz Bülow (1769–1844) as Chief of the General Staff and Adjudicts Staff	20 January 1808	30 December 1839	31 years	[3]
2		Steinmann, PeterLieutenant general Pierre-Frédéric Steinmann (1782–1854)	30 December 1839	January 1852	12 years	[5]
3		Flensborg, CarlMajor general Carl Julius Flensborg (1804–1852)	January 1852	23 July 1852 †	0 years	[13]
4		?	23 July 1852	1854	1–2 years	.
5		Baggesen, AugustMajor general August Baggesen (1795–1865)	1854	June 1858	3–4 years	[14]
Position of Chief of the General staff abolished 1858 - 1867[lower-alpha 1][4]
-		de Meza, ChristianChristian de Meza (1792–1865) as Supreme General	24 December 1863	5 February 1864	43 days	[15]
-		Lüttichau, MathiasMathias Lüttichau (1795–1870) Acting as Supreme General	5 February 1864	28 February 1864	23 days	[16]
-		Gerlach, GeorgGeorg Gerlach (1797–1865) as Supreme General	29 February 1864	3 July 1864	125 days	[17]
-		Steinmann, PeterPeter Frederik Steinmann (1812–1894) as Supreme General	4 July 1864	1 November 1864	150 days	[18]
-		Kauffmann, HeinrichHeinrich Kauffmann (1819–1905) Acting	December 1864	1865	0–1 years	[19]
-		Stiernholm, FrederikFrederik Stiernholm (1822–1879) Acting	1865	1867	1–2 years	[20]
6		Stiernholm, FrederikGeneral Frederik Stiernholm (1822–1879)	1867	1879	11–12 years	[20]
7		Fog, LudolphGeneral Ludolph Fog (1825–1897)	1879	1887	7–8 years	[21]
8		Schroll, Johannes ZeuthenMajor general Johannes Zeuthen Schroll (1831–1916)	1887	1896	8–9 years	[22]
9		Hedemann, MariusLieutenant general Marius Hedemann (1836–1903)	1896	1901	4–5 years	[23]
10		Zachariae, GeorgMajor general Georg Zachariae (1835–1907)	1901	1903	1–2 years	[24]
11		Kühnel, ArnoldMajor general Arnold Kühnel (1850–1908)	1903	1905	1–2 years	[25]
12		Gørtz, VilhelmMajor general Vilhelm Gørtz (1852–1939)	1905	1909	3–4 years	[26]
13		Hansen, AndersMajor general Anders Ludvig Hansen (1856–1920)	1909	1912	2–3 years	[27]
14		Berthelsen, PalleMajor general Palle Berthelsen (1857–1920)	1912	1917	4–5 years	[28]
15		Wolff, EllisMajor general Ellis Wolff (1856–1938)	1917	1918	0–1 years	[29]
16		Major general Edgar Castonier (1866–1934)	1918	1919	0–1 years	[30]
17		Nielsen, LouisMajor general Louis Nielsen	1919	1922	2–3 years	[31][32]

Chief of the General Command (1922–1950)

No.	Portrait	Chief of the General Command	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
1		Birke, PeterLieutenant general Peter Laurids Martin Birke (1865–1941)	7 August 1922	October 1926	4 years, 1 month	[33]
2		Nyholm, AndersLieutenant general Anders Gjedde Nyholm (1861–1939)	October 1926	31 July 1931	4 years, 9 months	[32]
3		With, ErikLieutenant general Erik With (1869–1959)	August 1931	November 1939	8 years, 3 months	[34]
4		Prior, WilliamLieutenant general William Wain Prior (1876–1946)	1 December 1939	1 October 1941	1 year, 10 months	[32][35]
5		Gørtz, EbbeLieutenant general Ebbe Gørtz (1886–1976)	1 October 1941	30 September 1950	8 years, 11 months	[36]

Chief of the Army Command (1950–1970)

No.	Portrait	Chief of the Army Command	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
1		Gørtz, EbbeLieutenant general Ebbe Gørtz (1886–1976)	1 October 1950	3 July 1951	9 months	[36]
2		Møller, ErikLieutenant general Erik C.V. Møller (1896–1972)	July 1951	1957	5–6 years	[37]
3		Hjalf, ViggoLieutenant general Viggo Hjalf (1900–1985)	1957	1960	2–3 years	[38]
4		Jacobsen, ValdemarLieutenant general Valdemar Jacobsen (1902–1987)	1960	1967	6–7 years	[39]
5		Blixenkrone-Møller, OttoLieutenant general Otto Blixenkrone-Møller (1912–2006)	1967	31 December 1969	1–2 years	[40]

Chief of the Army Staff (1970–1990)

No.	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
Chief of the Army
1		Blixenkrone-Møller, OttoLieutenant general Otto Blixenkrone-Møller (1912–2006)	1 January 1970	30 November 1972	2 years	[40]
2		Vegger, ChristianMajor general Christian Vegger (1915–1992)	1 December 1972	1976	3–4 years	[41]
3		Boysen, HaraldMajor general Harald Martin Hermann Boysen (born 1922)	1976	26 May 1982	5–6 years	[42]
Inspector of the Army
1		Boysen, HaraldMajor general Harald Martin Hermann Boysen (born 1922)	26 May 1982	1987	4–5 years	[42]
2		Essemann, J.Major general J. C. Essemann	1987	1990	2–3 years	[43]
3		Hillingsø, KjeldMajor general Kjeld Hillingsø (born 1935)	1990	31 December 1990	0 years	[44]

Chief of the Army Operational Command (1991–2014)

No.	Portrait	Chief of the Army Operational Command	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
1		Hillingsø, KjeldMajor general Kjeld Hillingsø (born 1935)	1 January 1991	1993	1–2 years	[44]
2		Kandborg, Ole LarsenMajor general Ole Larsen Kandborg (born 1941)	1993	1997	3–4 years	[45]
3		Grüner, GustavMajor general Gustav Grüner	1997	1998	0–1 years	[46]
4		Helsø, Hans JesperMajor general Hans Jesper Helsø (born 1948)	1998	27 September 2000	1–2 years	[47]
5		Scharling, JanMajor general Jan Scharling (born 1946)	27 September 2000	2002	1–2 years	[47]
6		Kiærskou, PoulMajor general Poul Kiærskou (born 1954)	2002	2009	8–9 years	[48][49]
7		Bundsgaard, Niels HenrikMajor general Niels Henrik Bundsgaard (born 1957)	2009	31 June 2010	0–1 years	[50]
8		Rokos, AgnerMajor general Agner Rokos (born 1958)	1 July 2010	31 March 2013	2 years, 273 days	[51]
9		Ludvigsen, PerMajor general Per Ludvigsen (born 1957)	1 April 2013	1 october 2014	1 year, 183 days	[52]

Chief of the Army Staff (2014–2018)

No.	Portrait	Chief of the Army Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
1		Mathiesen, Hans-ChristianMajor general Hans-Christian Mathiesen (born 1965)	1 October 2014	24 October 2018	4 years, 23 days	[53][1][54]
-		Christensen, Keld RobertColonel Keld Robert Christensen (born 1963) Acting	24 October 2018	31 December 2018	68 days	[1][55]

Chief of the Army Command (2019–present)

No.	Portrait	Chief of the Army Command	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
-		Christensen, Keld RobertColonel Keld Robert Christensen (born 1963) Acting	1 January 2019	31 January 2019	30 days	[1][56]
-		Pedersen, KennethMajor general Kenneth Pedersen (born 1968) Acting	31 January 2019	1 September 2019	213 days	[2]
1		Lollesgaard, MichaelMajor general Michael Lollesgaard (born 1960)	1 September 2019	Incumbent	350 days	[57]

See also

• Chief of Defence (Denmark)
• Chief of the Royal Danish Navy
• Chief of the Royal Danish Air Force

Notes

1. During the Second Schleswig War, command of the army was given to the Supreme General

References

1. "Redegørelse vedrørende inhabilitet". forsvaret.dk (in Danish). Værnsfælles Forsvarskommando. 24 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
2. Forsvarskommandoen (31 January 2019). "Ny midlertidig chef for Hærkommandoen". forsvaret.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 31 January 2019.
3. Hedegaard, E. O. A. (1 May 1976). "Ballonkrigen over Øresund 1809". Krigsvidenskab.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 29 August 2018.
4. "Hærordning 1816 - 1842". Arma-Dania.dk (in Danish). 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
5. Vesterdal, M. (1 October 1971). "Betragtninger vedrørende hærens organisation 1842-64". Krigsvidenskab.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 29 August 2018.
6. Petersen, Vagn Aage, ed. (1984). Rigsarkivet og hjælpemidlerne til dets benyttelse III (PDF) (in Danish) (1 ed.). Rigsarkivet. p. 40. ISBN 978-87-7497-071-2.
7. Hillingsø, Kjeld (31 January 2009). "Hærkommandoen". Den Store Danske (in Danish). Gyldendal. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
8. Hillingsø, Kjeld. "Hærkommandoen". Den Store Danske. Gyldendal. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
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11. Danish Defence (1989). "Forsvaret i 90'erne". Beretning fra Forsvarskommissionen af 1988 (PDF) (in Danish). Schultz Grafisk A/S. ISBN 978-87-503-8209-6. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
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32. Clemmesen 1982, p. III-3.
33. Larsen, Helge. "Martin Birke". Dansk Biografisk Leksikon (in Danish) (3 ed.). Gyldendal. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
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Bibliography

• Clemmesen, Michael Hesselholt (1982). Jyllands landforsvar fra 1901 til 1940 (in Danish). Copenhagen: Det Krigsvidenskabelige Selskab. ISBN 87-981346-0-4.