Lieutenant General Jean-Pierre Bovy
Military Representative – Belgium
2009 – 2010
Lieutenant General Jean-Pierre Bovy was born in Werl (Germany) on 24 April 1949. He is married and has a son and a daughter. He is also a proud grandfather. From 15 September 1966 to 31 December 1970 he was a student of the 106th All Weapons Promotion at the Royal Military Academy, where he graduated in Social and Military Sciences. He received postgraduate training in the fields of Information systems, Organisation, Strategic Management and Change Management.
After specialised military training at the Army Logistic Centre and the Logistic School of Materiel, he successively held the positions of supply unit commander, maintenance unit commander and technical officer at the 411th Logistic Company.
From 1971 to 1974, he was posted to the staff of the Third Grouping of Logistics as a technical officer and consultant for logistic information systems and logistic budgetary funds.
In 1976, he joined the Logistic School of Ordnance where he taught logistic supply and maintenance procedures.
In 1978, he became responsible for the renewal of the logistic information system. This was a responsibility he continued to hold after his transfer in 1979 to the Management Department of the staff of the Logistic Division.
From 1981 to 1982, Captain Bovy followed various courses to prepare him to become a senior officer at the Belgian Royal Higher Institute for Defence.
From 1982 to 1986, he undertook duties at the Army Staff and was charged with the implementation of various projects and general coordination of logistic information processing.
From September 1986 to June 1987, Major Bovy attended the Senior Staff College course, after which he was appointed a military professor in management at the Belgian Royal Higher Institute for Defence.
From 5 September 1991, Lieutenant Colonel Bovy, Graduate Staff College (BEM), commanded the Logistic Centre N° 1 where he developed the concept and organisation of logistic support to the units participating in peace support operations.
In 1993, Colonel Bovy joined the Personnel & Organisation Directorate of the General Joint Staff where he held the positions of Chief of ‘Valorisation of the Military Function and the Well-Being Section’ and Director of the ‘Total Quality Institute’. In 1995 he became head of the ‘Organisation Section’.
In 1998, he was appointed as the chairman of the strategic reflection group, ‘Vision 2015’, and was in charge of developing a new strategic plan.
From 1983 to 1993, he served as Equerry to H.M. the King. On 15 January 1997, he was appointed Aid to H.M. the King.
On 1 January 1999, Colonel Bovy was appointed Director ‘Personnel & Organisation’ and was in charge of turning the ‘Vision 2015’ study into a strategic plan for approval by the Government. Through this role, he became the architect of the unified command structure of the Belgian Armed Forces.
He was promoted to the rank of Major General on 18 January 1999 and was in charge of translating the approved strategic plan into a concrete action plan.
Major General Bovy was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General on 16 December 2001 and was tasked with the implementation of the General Directorate of Human Resources of the unified structure.
On 1 January 2003, Lieutenant General Bovy was appointed the Assistant Chief of Staff ‘Evaluation’ in charge of the harmonisation of defence objectives and plans and in meeting the challenges associated with realising these objectives.
From 19 April 2004, he was appointed ‘National Armaments Director’ and Assistant Chief of Staff for ‘Strategic Affairs’. In these positions, he was responsible for defining the Belgian political-military positions for NATO, the EU, other multinational organisations and during bilateral staff talks. Moreover, he was responsible for strategic studies and, in particular, the new strategy called ‘Vision 2025’. He also conducted the implementation of the new strategic rolling planning process for the Belgian Armed Forces.
On 03 October 2005 Lieutenant General Bovy was appointed the Chief of Staff, Allied Joint Force Command Headquarters Brunssum. There he coordinated the international operational exercise of 7000 soldiers at the Cape Verde Islands allowing NATO to declare the NATO Response Force fully operational. He also successfully coordinated the extension of NATO’s responsibility for all Afghanistan and introduced an effect oriented organisation, campaign plan and campaign assessment in support of the comprehensive approach to this conflict. LtGen BOVY was appointed Military Representative to NATO in November 2009.