Commandant in vier missies Het leven en leiderschap van een generaal

What does it mean to lead soldiers during a military mission? And how do you make decisions when the situation is complex, uncertain and sometimes dangerous?

In Commandant in vier missies, Lieutenant General (ret.) Kees Matthijssen shares his personal and military experiences from more than four decades of service in the Dutch armed forces. He was the only Dutch military officer to serve as a commander at different levels during deployments across four decades.

Matthijssen served as a company commander in Srebrenica in 1995, as a battalion commander in Iraq in 2004, as a task force commander in Afghanistan in 2008–2009, and as force commander of the UN mission MINUSMA in Mali in 2022–2023.

Drawing partly on his own notes from these deployments, Matthijssen describes the operational reality of military missions and the dilemmas faced by commanders. The fall of the Srebrenica enclave, the challenges of operating in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the complex international mission in Mali all form part of his account.

Leadership is a central theme throughout the book. Matthijssen considers what it means to lead people in difficult circumstances, the importance of trust and responsibility, and the choices that commanders have to make. At the same time, he places the person behind the soldier at the centre of his approach to leadership.

The result is both a personal military memoir and a reflection on leadership. It offers an insight into the work of the Dutch armed forces and the realities of international peace and security missions.