| Commander of the Armed Forces of Suriname | |
|---|---|
| Commandant van de strijdkrachten van Suriname | |
 Coat of arms of Suriname | |
 Colonel Werner Kioe A Sen since 27 October 2022 | |
| National Army | |
| Type | Chief of staff |
| Member of | Security Council |
| Appointer |
President of Suriname Chan Santokhi |
| Term length | Not fixed |
| Inaugural holder | Yngwe Elstak |
| Formation | 25 November 1975 |
| Website | Official website |
The Commander of the Armed Forces (Dutch language: Commandant van de strijdkrachten ) is the professional head of the National Army (Dutch language: Nationaal Leger—NL ), the military of the Republic of Suriname. The position dates back to the country's independence from the Netherlands in 1975, with the military being named the Surinamese Armed Forces (Dutch language: Surinaamse Krijgsmacht—SKM ) until after the Sergeants' Coup in 1980.
The Commander of the Armed Forces is appointed by the President of Suriname, who is the commander-in-chief according to the Constitution.[lower-alpha 1]
The current Commander of the Armed Forces is Colonel Werner Kioe A Sen, serving since 27 October 2022.[1]
List of commanders of the armed forces[]
| № | Commander of the Armed Forces | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yngwe Elstak (1927–2010) [lower-alpha 2] | 25 November 1975 | 25 February 1980 | 4 years, 92 days | Surinamese Armed Forces (Surinaamse Krijgsmacht) | – | |
| 2 | Dési Bouterse (born 1945) | July 1980 | 22 December 1990 | 10 years, 5 months | National Army (Nationaal Leger) | [2] | |
| – | Ivan Graanoogst (Acting) [lower-alpha 3] | 22 December 1990 | 31 December 1990 | 0 years, 9 days | National Army (Nationaal Leger) | – | |
| (2) | Dési Bouterse (born 1945) | 31 December 1990 | 3 December 1992 | 1 year | National Army (Nationaal Leger) | [3] | |
| – | Ivan Graanoogst (Acting) | 3 December 1992 | 15 May 1993 | 0 years, 163 days | National Army (Nationaal Leger) | – | |
| 3 | Arthy Gorré (1950–2018) | 15 May 1993 | 30 June 1995 | 2 years, 46 days | National Army (Nationaal Leger) | [4][5] | |
| 4 | Colonel Glenn Sedney | 30 June 1995 | 1 July 2001 | 6 years, 1 day | National Army (Nationaal Leger) | – | |
| 5 | Colonel Ernst Mercuur | 1 July 2001 | 4 February 2010 | 8 years, 218 days | National Army (Nationaal Leger) | – | |
| 6 | Colonel Hedwig Gilaard | 4 February 2010 | 10 July 2013 | 3 years, 156 days | National Army (Nationaal Leger) | [6] | |
| – | Colonel Ronni Benschop (Acting) (born 1955) | 10 July 2013 | 4 February 2014 | 0 years, 209 days | National Army (Nationaal Leger) | [7][8] | |
| 7 | Brigadier general Ronni Benschop (born 1955) | 4 February 2014 | August 2015 | 1 year, 5 months | National Army (Nationaal Leger) | [8] | |
| – | Colonel Adolf Jardim (Acting) | August 2015 | March 2019 | 3 years, 7 months | National Army (Nationaal Leger) | [9] | |
| 8 | Colonel Robert Kartodikromo | 22 March 2019 | 3 May 2021 | 2 years, 42 days | National Army (Nationaal Leger) | [10] | |
| – | Colonel Henri van Axeldongen (Acting) | 3 May 2021 | March 2022 | 9 months | National Army (Nationaal Leger) | [11] | |
| – | Lieutenant Colonel Werner Kioe A Sen (Acting) | 1 April 2022 | 27 October 2022 | 0 years, 209 days | National Army (Nationaal Leger) | [12] | |
| 9 | Colonel Werner Kioe A Sen | 27 October 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 43 days | National Army (Nationaal Leger) | [1] |
![Arthy Gorré [nl]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Arthy_Gorr%C3%A9.png)
![Ronni Benschop [nl]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Ronni_Benschop.png)
Notes[]
- ↑ Article 100 of the Constitution of 1987.
- ↑ Deposed in the Sergeants' Coup.
- ↑ Staged the Telephone Coup.
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Kolonel Werner Kioe A Sen officieel bevelhebber Nationaal Leger". https://gov.sr/kolonel-werner-kioe-a-sen-officieel-bevelhebber-nationaal-leger-2/.
- ↑ "Suriname Military Chief Resigns, Complaining of a Lack of Support". The New York Times. 24 December 1990. https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/24/world/suriname-military-chief-resigns-complaining-of-a-lack-of-support.html.
- ↑ "Suriname's Army Chief Resigns". The New York Times. 21 November 1992. https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/21/world/suriname-s-army-chief-resigns.html.
- ↑ (in Dutch) Surinaamse legertop kondigt ontslag aan Archived 25 September 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Trouw, 14 May 1993
- ↑ (in Dutch) Nieuwe bevelhebber in Suriname Archived 25 September 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Trouw, 30 June 1995
- ↑ (in Dutch) President benoemt Hedwig Gilaard tot bevelhebber Starnieuws, 1 February 2011
- ↑ (in Dutch) Bouterse: Vervanging legerbevelhebber was nodig Starnieuws, 10 July 2013
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 (in Dutch) Benschop wordt officieel legerleider en brigade-generaal Starnieuws, 28 January 2014
- ↑ (in Dutch) Kolonel Adolf Jardim volgt Ronni Benschop op als bevelhebber van het Nationaal Leger De Ware Tijd, 20 August 2015
- ↑ "Nationaal Leger heeft na bijkans drie jaar weer bevelhebber" (in nl). 22 March 2019. https://www.srherald.com/suriname/2019/03/22/nationaal-leger-heeft-na-bijkans-drie-jaar-weer-bevelhebber/.
- ↑ (in Dutch) Nieuwe legerleiding gepresenteerd Archived 3 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Defense Ministry of Suriname, 3 May 2021
- ↑ "Overste Kioe A Sen per 1 april Waarnemend Bevelhebber Nationaal Leger". https://defense.gov.sr/actueel/2022/overste-kioe-a-sen-per-1-april-waarnemend-bevelhebber-nationaal-leger/.
Template:Commanders of the Armed Forces (Suriname)
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