[3] Marc Compernol, a four-star army general was born April 8, 1957, in Bruges, a native of Brasschaat.

He entered the army in 1972 after passing out in the Royal Cadet School Laeken in 1975, he went to the Royal Military Academy and graduates with 130th Polytechnic and he also obtained his masters of Mechanics and Ballistics.

He was trained as a field artillery in Brasschaat, he was transferred to serve in the Airborne Field Arty and went on to partake in Sunny Winter operations, ROC together the UNOSOM II where he commands, he was promoted to major in 1996 as the Army Staff, Plans and Programming Division until 1999 when he headed 2nd Regt Field Arty Helchteren, he got promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1997 and rose to be chief of Operational Logistics in the Operational Command of the Army during the early 2000, he also served the Army Staff Synthèse Division as head until 2002 he becisame colonel.

He got the promoted to major general and became the deputy assistant Chief of Staff Operations in 2006.

He became the Commander of Belgian Land Component (army) and served in September 2009 and a promotion to lieutenant general was followed, he served as assistant Chief of Staff Operations and Training in 2012 and rose to become the deputy head in 2013 and Head of Belgian Defence Force on 13 July 2016 together with promotion to the rank of general.