A native of Oostende, Admiral Michel HOFMAN finished his high school at the Royal Cadet School in Brussels and then joined the Royal Military Academy in 1978 as a candidate naval officer where he studied social and military sciences (118th All weapons class).

As a junior officer, he held several positions on board minesweepers, mine hunters and frigates. This period ended with a deployment in the Gulf region during Operation Desert Shield / Desert Storm on the WANDELAAR frigate.

Between 1991 and 1997, his operational career went on, first ashore at the Operations School of the Belgian Navy in St-Kruis Brugge, later on board the CROCUS mine hunter, the WESTDIEP frigate and by taking part in STANAVFORLANT, the NATO Standing Naval Force Atlantic. In autumn 97, he joined the Chief of Defence staff, Vice Admiral Herteleer, where he contributed to the development of a strategic vision for Defence through the "Vision 2015" working group.

Photo and bio source : https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/who_is_who_161196.htm