Centre of Excellence
Colonel Hans Folmer
Colonel Hans Folmer was born in 1964 and joined the Royal Military Academy in 1982. In 1986 he was commissioned as Artillery Officer. Since October 2011 he is commanding the Task Force Cyber and tasked to implement the Cyber program in the Netherlands Armed Forces.
Before starting the cyber program Hans Folmer was Chief Joint C4ISR requirements at the MoD, Directorate for Operational Policy, Requirements and Planning. In June 2007 he became the Chief of the Europea Union Operations Centre and Watchkeeping Capability in Brussels. From October 2006 till May 2007 he was the Military Assistant of the Commander ISAF RC(South) in Kandahar. From June 2004 till May 2007 LTC Folmer was CO of the bi-national CIS Battalion of the 1 (GE/NL) Corps.
Col Hans Folmer holds a Master in Electrical Engineering from the Delft University of Technology and a Master in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College.
Cyber operations, the need for an adequate toolbox
During military operations we depend on the use of the digital domain. All military systems, whether these are networks, weapon systems or sensors, make use of cyberspace. We are hyper connected. This means that a commander should consider his dependency during his operational planning process. Cyber should be a part of his considerations and taken into account in his decision making process. Cyber in itself can provide defensive, intelligence and offensive capabilities, but is also supporting to all other military capabilities. A commander needs to be adequately equipped for this new challenge. It means that there must be a clear doctrine on the use of cyber capabilities within the operational framework and there is a need for specific cyber means. Cyber as an operational capacity cannot be neglected.
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