# Chief of the Royal Danish Air Force

The Chief of the Air Command is the topmost authority in the Royal Danish Air Force. It can trace its history back to the creation of the Chief for the Naval Air Service, in 1913. The current chief of the Air Force is Major general Jan Dam.

## History

On 14 December 1911, the Naval Air Service was established. On 25 March 1912, the Royal Danish Navy received its first airplane the Kite, in 1913 the first chief was named. In 1912, the Army Air Corps was established. The first chief was named in 1917. Following the destruction of the air forces during World War II, it was decided that the two forces should be collected under one force. From 1947 till the creation of the RDAF, Torben Ørum served as Combined Army and Naval Air Corps Chief. In 1950, the Air Command and the position of Chief of the Air Force was created. With the creation of the Defence Staff and Chief of Defence, in 1970, the Chief of the Air Force was subjugated to the CoD. In 1982, the title of Chief of the Air Force was changed to become Inspector of the Air Force. Following the 1988 Defence Commission, it was decided that the Air Staff and the positions of Inspector would be removed and then create the Tactical Air Command. Following the Danish Defence Agreement 2013–17, the Tactical Air Command was disbanded and reorganised into the Air Staff. On 1 January 2019, as part of the Danish Defence Agreement 2018–23, the Danish name was changed Air Command.

## List of chiefs

| Naval Air Service (1913–1947) No. Picture Chief for the Naval Air ServiceTook officeLeft officeTime in officeRef. 1 Birck, UlrikUlrik Birch (1883–1913)February 1913October 1913 †8 months 2 Hoeck, AxelFirst lieutenant Axel Hoeck (?–1915)14 April 191427 July 1915 †1 year, 3 months 3 Laub, FrederkFirst lieutenant Frederik W. H. Laub (1887–1945)27 July 1915March 19182 years, 7 months 4 Grandjean, AsgerCommodore Asger Grandjean (1889–1948)March 191831 October 194123 years, 7 months 5 Scheibel, PovlCommodore Povl Scheibel (1893–?)31 October 19411 December 19476 years, 1 month | Army Aviation Troops (1917–1947) No. Picture Chief for the Army Aviation TroopsTook officeLeft officeTime in officeRef. 1 Koch, JohanColonel Johan Peter Koch (1870–1928)191713 January 1928 †10–11 years 2 Hansen, HansColonel Hans Oluf Hansen (1879–1967)192819323–4 years 3 Førslev, ChristianColonel Christian Førslev [da] (1891–1959)1 November 193219457–8 years 4 Andersen, TageColonel Tage Andersen (1899–1965)194519471–2 years |

### Combined Army and Naval Air Corps (1947–1950)

| No. | Picture | Chief for the Combined Army and Naval Air Corps | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| 1 | | Ørum, TorbenColonel Torben Ploug Aagesen Ørum (1901–1999) | 1 December 1947 | 1 October 1950 | 2 years, 304 days | |

### Air Command (1950–1969)

| No. | Chief of the Air Command | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| 1 | Førslev, ChristianLieutenant general Christian Førslev [da] (1891–1959) | 1 October 1950 | 31 October 1955 | 5 years, 30 days | |
| 2 | Førslev, ChristianLieutenant general Tage Andersen (1899–1965) | 1 November 1955 | 15 June 1959 | 3 years, 226 days | |
| 3 | Ramberg, KurtLieutenant general Kurt Ramberg [da] (1908–1997) | 15 June 1959 | 30 September 1962 | 3 years, 107 days | |
| 4 | Pagh, HLieutenant general H. J. Pagh | 1 October 1962 | 31 December 1969 | 7 years, 91 days | – |

### Air Staff (1970–1990)

| No. | Chief of the Air Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| Chief of the Air Force |||||||
| 1 | Førslev, ChristianMajor general Niels Holst-Sørensen (born 1922) | 1 January 1970 | 26 May 1982 | 12 years | |
| Inspector of the Air Force |||||||
| 2 | Thorsen, P.Major general P. Thorsen | 26 May 1982 | 1984 | 1–2 years | – |
| 3 | Larsens, BentMajor general Bent Vilhelm Larsens (1930–2014) | 1984 | 1990 | 5–6 years | |

### Tactical Air Command (1990–2014)

| No. | Chief of Tactical Air Command | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
| 1 | Fogh, OleMajor general Ole Fogh [da] (born 1934) | 1990 | 1994 | 3–4 years |
| 2 | Tophøj, LauritsMajor general Laurits Tophøj (born 1940) | 1994 | 1997 | 2–3 years |
| 3 | Rosgaard, KurtMajor general Kurt Ebbe Rosgaard (born 1946) | 1997 | 2000 | 2–3 years |
| 4 | Simonsen, LeifMajor general Leif Simonsen [da] (born 1945) | 2000 | 2005 | 4–5 years |
| 5 | Nielsen, StigMajor general Stig Østergaard Nielsen (born 1954) | 2005 | 2009 | 3–4 years |
| 6 | Nielsen, StigMajor general Henrik Røboe Dam | 2009 | 30 September 2014 | 4–5 years |

### Air Staff (2014–2018)

| No. | Picture | Chief of Air Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| 1 | | Nielsen, MaxMajor general Max A.L.T. Nielsen (born 1963) | 1 October 2014 | 31 October 2017 | 3 years, 30 days | |
| 2 | | Rex, AndersMajor general Anders Rex (born 1970) | 1 November 2017 | 31 December 2018 | 1 year, 60 days | |

### Air Command (2019–present)

| No. | Portrait | Name (born–died) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name (born–died) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| 1 | | Major general Anders Rex (born 1970) | 1 January 2019 | 1 May 2021 | 2 years, 120 days | |
| – | | Major general Jan Dam (born 1964) | 1 May 2021 | 15 May 2021 | 14 days | |
| 2 | | Major general Jan Dam (born 1964) | 15 May 2021 | Incumbent | 3 years, 145 days | |