General (RET) Tom Middendorp was The Netherlands Chief of Defense for five and a half years and spent 38 years serving his country. He commanded soldiers on all levels, led a large multinational taskforce in the south of Afghanistan and was involved in over twenty different military missions as the Director of Operations. His work gave him a deep understanding of the geopolitical dynamics and the drivers of conflicts and instability in the world. He experienced how climate change is already acting as a risk multiplier.
When he retired Tom Middendorp established – and was appointed as the Chairman of - the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS); a global network of security experts and research institutes from over 40 countries. His first book (Climate General) is published in Dutch, French and English and has been filmed in a documentary.
He joined The Clingendael Institute as a Senior Visiting Fellow and is attached to The Hague Center for Strategic Studies as a Strategic Security Expert. He is also the Dutch Special Envoy on European Defence Cooperation and a member of several Advisory Boards. Last but not least, Tom supports several start-up innovations on the area of climate change and is a well-known guest speaker at summits and meetings.