Lieutenant General Frans van den Berg SD SM MMM was an artillery officer who was appointed as the first Chief of Staff Planning in the SADF in 1986.

He was born in Kimberley and matriculated from Potchefstroom High School for Boys.

He was an instructor at the Army Gymnasium, he completed the British Long Gunnery Staff Course in 1962.

OC North Western Command 1974–1977 and simultaneously Director Artillery from 1974 to 1976, Military Advisor to Bophuthatswana from 1975 to 1977.

He was tasked by the then Chief of the Army-Lt Gen Constand Viljoen to visit the Israeli Combined Arms Training Center in 1977 that led to the creation of the Army Battle School in Lohatla.