Frank van Kappen

Franklin Ernest "Frank" van Kappen (born 4 August 1941) is a Dutch politician and retired soldier. He has been a member of the Senate for the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy since 12 June 2007. Van Kappen was a career officer in the Netherlands Marine Corps, and served as Major general between 1995 and 1998.

Van Kappen was born on 4 August 1941 in Semarang, Dutch East Indies. He received his primary education in the Dutch East Indies, the Netherlands and New Guinea. Between 1955 and 1961 he was enrolled in the Dalton Lyceum in The Hague.

The same year he finished highschool he entered the Royal Naval College in Den Helder. Graduating as an officer in 1964. Van Kappen served with the Netherlands Marine Corps until 1998. Between July 1992 and 1995 he served as brigadier general as commanding officer of the Dutch Armed Forces in the Caribbean, concurrently holding command of the Dutch-American Taskforce 4.4. He was promoted to Major general and served as military advisor to the Secretary General of the United Nations between 1995 and August 1998.

Since 2000 he has been a visiting lecturer at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael.

In 1999 Van Kappen became member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and he joined the Senate for that party on 12 June 2007.

In 2009 there was widespread political debate on the continuation of the Dutch military presence in the Afghan province of Uruzgan in the Task Force Uruzgan for 2010. Van Kappen proposed that the Netherlands would continue its military presence, however leave the lead position to another country.

Since 5 July 2011 he has been President of the Senate's Permanent Commission on Foreign Affairs and Development Aid.

Shortly after the 17 July 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in Eastern Ukraine, the option of sending military commando forces to retrieve the victims was proposed by several politicians because the flight hada majority of Dutch passengers and cooperation with local power holders was difficult. Van Kappen stated that the sending of Dutch forces would be one of the most stupid courses of action.

In July 1982 Van Kappen was invested as a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau; on 8 June 1995 he was elevated as a Commander of the same order.

He received the medal of Naval Almirante Luis Brion of Venezuela on 23 July 1993. Venezuela also awarded him the Order of Naval Merit, first class on 7 July 1995. The United States presented him with the Legion of Merit in December 1996.