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Petrus Johannes Mathias "Peter" van Uhm (born 15 June 1955) is a retired
Royal Netherlands Army The Royal Netherlands Army ( nl, Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised – making the Dutc ...
general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
. He served as
Chief of Defence The chief of defence (or head of defence) is the highest ranked commissioned officer of a nation's armed forces. The acronym CHOD is in common use within NATO and the European Union as a generic term for the highest national military position withi ...
of the
Armed forces of the Netherlands The Netherlands Armed Forces ( nl, Nederlandse krijgsmacht) are the military services of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The core of the armed forces consists of the four service branches: the Royal Netherlands Navy (), the Royal Netherlands Ar ...
from 17 April 2008 until 28 June 2012. He previously served as the
Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army The Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army (C-LAS, Dutch: ''Commandant Landstrijdkrachten'') is the executive commander of the Royal Netherlands Army and reports directly to the Chief of Defence. The Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army is stat ...
from 5 September 2005 until 13 March 2008.


Biography

Van Uhm was born in the Dutch city of
Nijmegen Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...
, the son of a
baker A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...
. He is the elder brother of
Marc van Uhm General Marc van Uhm is a two-star general in the Royal Netherlands Army and served as its deputy commander. Biography Van Uhm was born in 1958, in the Dutch city of Nijmegen, the son of a baker, his brother being general Peter van Uhm. Van Uh ...
, who is also a general in the Royal Netherlands Army. He was first attracted to a career in the
army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
in high school, where he heard stories about the liberation of Nijmegen in 1944. He enrolled at the
Koninklijke Militaire Academie The Royal Military Academy ( nl, Koninklijke Militaire Academie or ''KMA'') is the service academy for the Dutch Army, the Dutch Air Force and the Royal Marechaussee. Located in Breda, Southern Netherlands, the KMA has trained future officers sin ...
in
Breda Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...
in 1972, attending the Infantry officer training course. He completed his training within the required four years and was posted to the 48th Mechanised Infantry Battalion in
's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...
in 1976. He served there until 1982, with a short break in 1978 during which he served as a platoon commander at the Royal Military School in
Weert Weert (; li, Wieërt ) is a municipality and city in the southeastern Netherlands located in the western part of the province of Limburg. It lies on the Eindhoven–Maastricht railway line, and is also astride the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal. Popu ...
. In 1982 Van Uhm was reassigned to the 43rd Mechanised Infantry Battalion as a Company Commander for Company A; he was deployed to
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
in this role in 1983 as part of the
UNIFIL The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon ( ar, قوة الأمم المتحدة المؤقتة في لبنان, he, כוח האו"ם הזמני בלבנון), or UNIFIL ( ar, يونيفيل, he, יוניפי״ל), is a UN peacekeeping m ...
mission. Returning to The Netherlands a
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
, he was posted the 48th Armoured Infantry Battalion for a short stint. From 1984 to 1986 Van Uhm attended the Staff Service and Advanced Military Studies courses at the
Royal Netherlands Army Staff College Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...
at
The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
. Following this (and a promotion to
major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
) he was assigned to the First Division staff as deputy Head of Operations. He then held the position of Head of the Training Policy Office at the Royal Netherlands Army Staff and (following promotion to
lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
), Head of the Training Section. In 1991 Van Uhm spent some time working at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
as a liaison officer, aiding in the preparation of the
European Community Monitoring Mission The European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM), between 1991 and 2000 known as the European Community Monitoring Mission (ECMM), was a mission of the European Union in the former Yugoslavia. History The European Union Monitoring Mission began opera ...
(ECMM). Following that he served as head of the Plans Division at the staff of Dutch First Corps. In 1994, following the creation of the Dutch 11th Infantry Battalion Air Assault Brigade, Van Uhm was appointed Battalion Commander of their Grenadiers and Rifles Guards. He served there for a year, until his promotion to full
colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
in 1995, when he was transferred to the Personal Office of the Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army, as Head of the Office. He then served as Head of the General Policy Division of the Army Staff and then as Head of the Military-Strategic Affairs Division of the Defense Staff. At the turn of the millennium Van Uhm, then a
brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
, was assigned to headquarters of the Stabilisation Force
SFOR The Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Bosnian war. Although SFOR was led by NATO, several non-NATO countries contributed troops. It ...
in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...
as Assistant Chief of Staff for Joint Military Affairs. Van Uhm assumed command of the entire 11th Air Assault Brigade in July 2001 and of the 11th Air Manoeuvre Brigade following that. (The Air Manoeuvre Brigade was a combined force consisting of the Air Assault Brigade and the Tactical Helicopter Group). Completing two years as Commander of the Air Assault Brigade, Van Uhm was subsequently appointed Deputy Director of Policy and Planning with the Royal Dutch Army staff in 2003. He was appointed Director (with a promotion to
major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
) in July 2004. He held this position until 8 July 2005, when he succeeded Major General Leen Noordzij as commanding officer of Operational Command ‘7 December’. This was followed shortly, on 5 September 2005, by promotion to
Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army The Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army (C-LAS, Dutch: ''Commandant Landstrijdkrachten'') is the executive commander of the Royal Netherlands Army and reports directly to the Chief of Defence. The Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army is stat ...
(Commandant der Landstrijdkrachten, C-LAS). Commensurate with this office he was promoted to
lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
and held the post until 13 March 2008, when he was succeeded by Lieutenant General
Rob Bertholee Robert Antonius Cornelis "Rob" Bertholee is a retired lieutenant general of the Royal Netherlands Army who served the head of the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) from 2011 to 2018. He previously was Commander of the Royal Nether ...
. He was awarded the '' Bronzen Soldaat'' at that time, for his exceptional service to the army. On 17 April 2008, Van Uhm was promoted to full
general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
and appointed
Chief of Defence The chief of defence (or head of defence) is the highest ranked commissioned officer of a nation's armed forces. The acronym CHOD is in common use within NATO and the European Union as a generic term for the highest national military position withi ...
(CHOD). The
Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...
,
Hans Hillen Johannes Stefanus Joseph "Hans" Hillen (born 17 June 1947) is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and journalist. Biography Early life Hillen studied sociology at Utrecht University. He has been a (sports) j ...
, announced on 28 September 2011 that Van Uhm will stand down in 2012, and be succeeded by Major General
Tom Middendorp Thomas Antonius Middendorp (born 6 September 1960) is a retired general of the Royal Netherlands Army. He served as Chief of Defence of the Armed forces of the Netherlands from 28 June 2012 until 3 October 2017. He previously served as the C ...
. Van Uhm transferred command to Middendorp on 28 June 2012. During the transfer-of-command ceremony he was made a Commander in the Military Division of the
Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...
and was made a special aide-de-camp to
Queen Beatrix Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, ; born 31 January 1938) is a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 until her abdication in 2013. Beatrix is the eldest daughter of Queen Juliana and her husband ...
. On 30 April 2013, Van Uhm served as
King of Arms King of Arms is the senior rank of an officer of arms. In many heraldic traditions, only a king of arms has the authority to grant armorial bearings and sometimes certify genealogies and noble titles. In other traditions, the power has been de ...
during the Investiture Ceremony of King
Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born ) is King of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne following Beatrix of the Netherlands, his mother's abdication in 2013. Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht as the old ...
.


Loss of Van Uhm's son

Van Uhm's promotion to CHOD was accompanied by personal tragedy as, on 18 April 2008, his son
First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...
Dennis van Uhm was killed in a roadside bombing in
Uruzgan Uruzgan (Dari), also spelled as Urozgan or Oruzgan, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. Uruzgan is located in the center of the country. The population is 436,079, and the province is mostly a tribal society. Tarinkot serves as th ...
, the southern province of Afghanistan.Bomb kills Dutch commander's son
BBC.co.uk
18 April 2008, www.nytimes.com
A spokesman for the
Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
claimed that militants had known about his movements and had targeted him. The Dutch government rejected this claim.
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Jan Peter Balkenende Jan Pieter "Jan Peter" Balkenende Jr. (; born 7 May 1956) is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and jurist who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 to 14 October 2010. Balkenende studied H ...
said in
The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
: "Our information is that there is no indication of any link between this cowardly deed and the fact that it was the son of the defense chief.""Violence in Afghanistan makes a personal impact on Holland"
18 April 2008, www.nytimes.com


Honours and awards


References


External links

*
Generaal b.d. Peter van Uhm
Assemblee {{DEFAULTSORT:Uhm, Peter van 1955 births Living people Chiefs of Defence (Netherlands) Commanders of the Order of Orange-Nassau Commanders of the Royal Netherlands Army Royal Netherlands Army generals Royal Netherlands Army officers Dutch military personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Military personnel of the Bosnian War Commanders of the Order of the Polar Star Honorary Officers of the Order of Australia Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the NATO Meritorious Service Medal Graduates of the Koninklijke Militaire Academie People from Nijmegen