Brigadier General Eddy STAES

Eddy Staes is born in Leuven, a University city in the centre of Belgium, on 16th of September 1959.

He enters the Belgian Royal Military Academy in 1977 and graduates in 1981 in “Master Social and Military Science” and completes directly after his military training at the Armour School.

He joins the 4th Regiment Lancers in Soest - Germany, a tank regiment equipped with Leopard 1, and serves as a Pl leader, Personnel Officer and Squadron commander. After 7 years in the Regiment he joins as a Captain the brigade staff of the Covering Forces of the 1st Belgian Army Corps in Arolsen – Germany and is responsible for the follow-up of the training and evaluation of Recce and Tank-squadrons.

In 1991, he is assigned to the staff of the Land component and contributes in the programming of the return of the Belgian forces from Germany to Belgium.

Promoted to Major he attends the General Staff Course of the Royal Higher Defence Institute in Brussels, Belgium (1996) and is also selected to attend the Admirals- und Generalstabslehrgang in the Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr in Hamburg, Germany (1997-1999).

In September 1999 he moves to Strasbourg - France, and becomes Chief G2 Plans in the HQ Eurocorps. Promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel he participates in the operation KFOR 3 in Kosovo for 6 months as Chief J2 Plans. After his return, he is appointed to set up the new G5 branch in the HQ Eurocorps of which he takes the lead for five months, than the new Chief G5, a French Colonel arrives. In September 2001, as Chief G5 Plans, he focuses on the certification process of the Eurocorps as High Readiness Task Force.

In July 2002 he joins the Royal Higher Defence Institute as military professor tactics land operations and serves as a coach for joint operations.

Selected by the promotion board in December 2004, Colonel STAES takes up the position of Chief of the section G3 of the Operational Command of the Land component. He is also the brigade commander of four Belgian Training areas and two Training centres for Paratroopers and Commando’s.

He was promoted Brigadier General 1st November 2007 and was deployed as National Contingent Commander (NCC) of the Belgian-Luxemburg contingent in Lebanon for six months.

He has been awarded several national and international decorations.

He is married with Caroline who teaches the French language. They have two children.

Brigadier General STAES has a great interest in sports like cycling and running, he also enjoys wine-tasting.

His native language is Dutch, but he speaks fluently French, English and German.