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Ernst Dobbenberg
Military Representative
Netherlands
Apr 2026 - Present
Netherlands
Apr 2026 - Present
Ernst Dobbenberg was born on the 22nd of November 1967 in Uden, Noord-Brabant. After receiving his engineer officers’ bull in 1991, he first served as a platoon commander at the 13th Mechanized Engineer Company in Oirschot and subsequently, after earning his red beret, at 11th Engineer Company Air Assault in Schaarsbergen. In 1994, he commanded his company during a deployment to Srebrenica, Bosnia, with Dutchbat I (UNPROFOR). That mission was followed by a short period as a Training and Education Officer at company level.
Dobbenberg’s experiences were shared with officer cadets when he became an instructor at the Engineer Training & Education Centre in Vught. Just before that, he was responsible for infrastructural projects at the Defence Infrastructure Agency. After completing Staff College in 2002, Dobbenberg returned to Schaarsbergen to become commander of 11th Engineer Company Air Assault. Under his command, the company reached the Operational Readiness status as part of 11th Air Manoeuvre Brigade. With his company Dobbenberg was subsequently deployed to As Samawah in Iraq in support of the 4th rotation of the Stabilization Force Iraq (SFIR-4)
In 2006, Dobbenberg completed the Higher Staff Course before starting at the Ministry of Defence, where he was responsible for land domain requirements and contributed as the military adviser to the Future Defence Policy Survey 2010. Later that year, Dobbenberg was appointed commander of 11th Armoured Engineer Battalion in Wezep, a subunit of 43 Mechanized Brigade. His battalion delivered engineer support to various deployments to Kunduz, Afghanistan, and to national civil authorities when Advanced Search of CBRN teams were needed. After handing over command in 2013, he was promoted to Colonel and returned to The Hague to establish the new Knowledge & Innovation Department within the Defence Staff.
Following his posting in The Hague, Dobbenberg served as Senior Staff Officer for Plans, Policy & Capabilities at the Netherlands delegation at NATO HQ in Brussels. In 2019, he returned to the Army Staff as Director of Staff before being promoted to Brigadier-General. As Director of Weapon Systems and Logistics Agencies, he was responsible for weapon system logistics, ammunition, fuel, clothing, and equipment. In March 2022, Major-General Dobbenberg became Director of Operational Readiness at the Ministry of Defence, where he was committed to supporting Ukraine to the maximum extent possible, scaling up the Armed Forces, and implementing the National Defence Plans. This was an extremely demanding job during a crucial period. Early 2026 Dobbenberg returned to NATO HQ as the Netherlands Military Representative to NATO and the EU in the rank of Lieutenant General.
Dobbenberg is happily married to Petra, and together they are the proud parents of two adult sons.