Graduating the academy in 1973, he was commissioned a second lieutenant and assigned to the 11th Independent Armoured Reconnaissance Squadron at Schaarsbergen as a platoon commander.

[3] In 1987 Van Diepenbrugge was promoted lieutenant colonel and made Chief of the General Staffing Policies section at the Planning department of the Army Directorate of Personnel.

On November 5, 1998, he was promoted brigadier general and assigned command of the 13th Mechanized Brigade – a position he held until April 4, 2001.

[3] In September of the same year Van Diepenbrugge returned to Sarajevo as Commander Multinational Division Southwest in Bosnia-Herzegovina with the NATO mission SFOR.

On October 11, 2002, he was promoted major general and made Deputy Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army.

[1] On June 1, 2005, Tony van Diepenbrugge was promoted to lieutenant general and assigned command of the I. German/Dutch Corps.

[1][2] Following his retirement, Van Diepenbrugge became active in the local politics of his home town of Epe.