The Surgeon General () is the highest-ranking medical officer of the Danish Defence. Until 2023, the holder of administrative leadership of the Armed Forces Medical Command was also Surgeon General.
History Until the beginning of the 19th century, the chief surgeon of the army was a temporary position established only in times of conflict. However, there was an increased wish to have a permanent position to plan, supervise and be available to the higher command authorities. As such the () was established on 21 April 1806, with the rank of major.
In 1838, the title was changed to the (), which was elevated to colonel in 1848. The position was however demoted back to major by 1852. The rank was re-elevated to colonel on 3 January 1861.
Following the Army law of 1867, the army and navy staff doctors were collected into a unified corps. The unified corps was spilt again in 1880, as it was decided that the naval medical corps be disbanded.
On 13 April 1894, the rank was elevated to major general.
On 1 November 1951, the Army Medical Corps () and the Naval Medical Corps () were collected into the joint Defence Medical Corps (), which also included the newly formed air force. Following the adoption of the brigade general rank in 1983, the position was made a brigade general.
By 1991, the name was changed to Defence Health Service (). This merged with the () in 2002.
In 2018, the name was changed to Medical Command ().
With increased responsibility of the Forsvarets Sanitetskommando, the leadership role was split in two, in April 2023. One administrator and one healthcare advisor.
List of officeholders Portrait Name Term of office Took office Left office Time in office Army staff surgeon 1 21 April 1806 5 January 1832 † 2 Johann Christian Wilhelm Wendt 5 February 1832 4 March 1838 † Army staff physician 3 Johan Conrad Müller 10 March 1838 28 September 1863 4 Michael Djørup 28 September 1863 1867 years Staff Physician and Chief of the Joint Army and Navy Medical Corps 4 Michael Djørup 1867 13 August 1873 years 5 Nota Salomon 31 August 1873 1 November 1880 Army staff physician 5 OberstNota Salomon 1 November 1880 20 March 1885 † 6 GeneralmajorJohan Christian Møller 20 March 1885 25 April 1902 † 7 GeneralmajorHieronymus Laub 25 April 1902 1908 years 8 GeneralmajorJohan Frederik Hempel 1908 8 March 1911 † years 9 GeneralmajorFrederik Ferdinand Biering 8 March 1911 1916 years 10 GeneralmajorJohan Ammentorp 1916 1930 years 11 GeneralmajorJohan Peter Skot-Hansen 1930 29 October 1935 † years 12 GeneralmajorEmanuel Andreas Gottfred Saugmann October 1935 years 13 GeneralmajorCarl Rudolph Hakon Fasting-Hansen 1963 years 14 GeneralmajorMogens Winge December 1963 December 1972 years 15 GeneralmajorSvend Trier 1973 1988 years 16 BrigadegeneralKnud Jessen 1988 1 April 1998 years 17 BrigadegeneralHans-Michael Jelsdorf 1 April 1998 2006 years 18 BrigadegeneralErik Michael Darre 2006 2013 years 19 BrigadegeneralSøren Worm-Petersen 2013 28 April 2017 years 20 BrigadegeneralSten Hulgaard 28 April 2017 28 April 2023 21 BrigadegeneralSusanne Bach Lausten 28 April 2023 Incumbent
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