{{short description|Dutch politician and soldier}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Frank van Kappen |image = File:Frank van Kappen.jpg |alt = |caption = Frank van Kappen as Brigadier general |office = Member of the [[Senate (Netherlands)|Senate]] |term_start = 12 June 2007 |term_end = 11 June 2019 |birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1941|08|04|df=y}} |birth_place = [[Semarang]], [[Dutch East Indies]] |death_date = |death_place = |party = [[People's Party for Freedom and Democracy]] |website = |}} '''Franklin Ernest "Frank" van Kappen''' (born 4 August 1941) is a Dutch retired marine and politician. Van Kappen was a career officer in the [[Netherlands Marine Corps]], and served as [[Major general]] between 1995 and 1998. He was a member of the [[Senate (Netherlands)|Senate]] for the [[People's Party for Freedom and Democracy]] between 2007 and 2019.
==Career== Van Kappen was born on 4 August 1941 in [[Semarang]], [[Dutch East Indies]]. He received his primary education in the Dutch East Indies, the Netherlands and [[New Guinea]]. Between 1955 and 1961 he was enrolled in the Dalton Lyceum in [[The Hague]].<ref name=parlement>{{cite web|url=http://www.parlement.com/id/vhjogfpxyzwr/f_e_frank_van_kappen |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402114957/http://www.parlement.com/id/vhjogfpxyzwr/f_e_frank_van_kappen |title=F.E. (Frank) van Kappen |language=nl |publisher=Parlement.com |archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref>
The same year he finished highschool he entered the [[Royal Naval College (Netherlands)|Royal Naval College]] in [[Den Helder]]. Graduating as an officer in 1964 he subsequently served with the [[Netherlands Marine Corps]].<ref name=parlement/> Between 1987 and 1988 he attended [[Naval War College]] in the United States.<ref name=parlement/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://hcss.nl/expert/fe-van-kappen |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527132150/https://hcss.nl/expert/fe-van-kappen |title=F.E. van Kappen |publisher=The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies |archive-date=27 May 2019}}</ref> Between July 1992 and 1995 he served as brigadier general as commanding officer of the Dutch Armed Forces in the [[Caribbean]], concurrently holding command of the Dutch-American Taskforce 4.4. He was promoted to Major general and served as military advisor to the Secretary General of the United Nations between 1995 and August 1998.<ref name=parlement/>
Since 2000 he has been a visiting lecturer at the [[Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael]].<ref name=parlement/>
==Senate== In 1999 Van Kappen became member of the [[People's Party for Freedom and Democracy]] and he joined the [[Senate (Netherlands)|Senate]] for that party on 12 June 2007.<ref name=parlement/>
In 2009 there was widespread political debate on the continuation of the Dutch military presence in the Afghan province of [[Urozgan Province|Uruzgan]] in the [[Task Force Uruzgan]] for 2010. Van Kappen proposed that the Netherlands would continue its military presence, however leave the lead position to another country.<ref>{{cite web|author=Frank van Kappen |url=http://www.eenvandaag.nl/buitenland/oorlog-tegen-terreur/43500/frank_van_kappen_helemaal_weg_is_geen_optie |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402152006/http://www.eenvandaag.nl/buitenland/oorlog-tegen-terreur/43500/frank_van_kappen_helemaal_weg_is_geen_optie |title=Frank van Kappen - Helemaal weg is geen optie |language=nl |publisher=EenVandaag |date=19 November 2009 |archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref>
Between 2011 and 2015 he was President of the Senate's Permanent Commission on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Development Aid.<ref name=parlement/>
Shortly after the 17 July 2014 downing of [[Malaysia Airlines Flight 17]] in Eastern Ukraine, the option of sending military commando forces to retrieve the victims was proposed by several politicians because the flight had a majority of Dutch passengers and cooperation with local power holders was difficult. Van Kappen stated that the sending of Dutch forces would be one of the most stupid courses of action.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nos.nl/video/677224-van-kappen-militair-ingrijpen-hoogst-onverstandig.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140722232030/http://nos.nl/video/677224-van-kappen-militair-ingrijpen-hoogst-onverstandig.html |title=Van Kappen: militair ingrijpen hoogst onverstandig |language=nl |publisher=Nederlandse Omroep Stichting |date=20 July 2014 |archive-date=22 July 2014}}</ref>
In early 2018 Van Kappen pleaded for a long-term plan for the [[armed forces of the Netherlands]], a plan with broad political support which would could be sustained over several cabinets.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.defensie.nl/actueel/nieuws/2018/01/15/defensie-onder-de-aandacht-in-nieuwspoort |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204085809/https://www.defensie.nl/actueel/nieuws/2018/01/15/defensie-onder-de-aandacht-in-nieuwspoort |title=Kamerlid Van Kappen: "Deltaplan voor Defensie nodig" |publisher=Defensie.nl |date=16 January 2018 |archive-date=4 February 2018}}</ref> During the [[2018 Dutch municipal elections]] Van Kappen was ''[[lijstduwer]]'' for his party in [[Utrechtse Heuvelrug]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Franck |first1=Roeland |url=https://www.ad.nl/utrecht/kiezer-heeft-in-utrecht-het-meest-te-kiezen~adf27782/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322085142/https://www.ad.nl/utrecht/kiezer-heeft-in-utrecht-het-meest-te-kiezen~adf27782/ |title=Kiezer heeft in Utrecht het meest te kiezen |publisher=Algemeen Dagblad |date=20 March 2018 |archive-date=22 March 2018}}</ref> His term in the Senate ended on 11 June 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eerstekamer.nl/persoon/generaal_majoor_der_mariniers_b_d |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203233455/https://www.eerstekamer.nl/persoon/generaal_majoor_der_mariniers_b_d |title=Generaal-majoor der Mariniers (b.d.) F.E. van Kappen (VVD) |language=nl |publisher=Senate of the Netherlands |archive-date=3 February 2020}}</ref>
==Awards== In July 1982 Van Kappen was invested as a Knight of the [[Order of Orange-Nassau]]; on 8 June 1995 he was elevated as an Officer of the same order.<ref name=parlement/>
He received the medal of Naval Almirante Luis Brion of [[Venezuela]] on 23 July 1993.<ref name=parlement/> Venezuela also awarded him the Order of Naval Merit, first class on 7 July 1995.<ref name=parlement/> The United States presented him with the [[Legion of Merit]] in December 1996.<ref name=parlement/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Members of the Senate of the Netherlands, 2015–2019}} {{Members of the Senate of the Netherlands, 2011–2015}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kappen, Frank van}} [[Category:1941 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Brigadier generals]] [[Category:Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit]] [[Category:Members of the Senate (Netherlands)]] [[Category:Naval War College alumni]] [[Category:Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau]] [[Category:People from Semarang]] [[Category:Politicians from Central Java]] [[Category:People's Party for Freedom and Democracy senators]] [[Category:Royal Netherlands Marine Corps generals]]