Jan Leopold De With (4 February 1956 in Koningstad) is the current Admiral of the Royal Navy of Brunant.
Biography[]
Early career[]
De With was born to Sophie Meester and a Georg De With, a former Swedish-Brunanter military commander. He was educated at the Cape Cross Military Institute in Cape Cross and joined the Brunanter Armed Forces.
De With was conscripted into the navy on 17 August 1974 and was promoted to Fleet Lieutenant in 1982. Serving with several naval squadrons in his early career, Jan climbed the ladder of prominence in the Armed Forces. In his early years, he was stationed in Drenthe. Although the Realmarine has not seen any action since the German occupation of Brunant, De With retained his function within the naval forces. In 1988 he was posted to Berrio Naval Base.
In the 1990s De With, then a Corvette Captain, served in United Nations missions to El Salvador and Kosovo.
Admiral[]
Drenthe, Jan De With's military base, was home to one of the two naval divisions withing the Realmarine and is thereby led by a Vice-Admiral. Through his successful training, sociale presence and contacts, De With was chosen as the new Vice-Admiral in Drenthe in July 2008. He became the Admiral of the Realmarine in 2011, becoming one of the youngest Admirals in modern times. Only Queen Helene of Brunant has the ceremonial role of Admiral-General and is considered higher than De With's position as Admiral but De With holds the highest active rank in the navy.
Lovia[]
In 2014, the Royal Navy was put in military readiness, with military equipment being sent over to Lovia in assistance with regards to an invasion by Burenia and it's allies. Admiral Jan De With has sent 92 navy sailors and two ships, assisted by four pilots and helicopters, as Brunant's contribution to the Multinational Task Force in Lovia. At his command, Andrew Bonner was commissioned for the command in Lovia. "A successful operation for our country." declared De With for the media a few days after the return of the first naval personnel to Brunant in July. He was also strongly criticized by the media and military specialists for his lack of experience and for his "attempt" to deteriorate the good relationships with Lovia.
He was awarded the Order of Merit following the conclusion of the Lovian mission.
Honours and decorations[]
Personal life[]
De With married French geologist Agnès Montfrin-Cardet in 1981. They have two children: Marc (1984) and Sophie (1987). His daughter Sophie works for the SD Bank and married footballer John Compton in 2014. They live in Koningstad since De With's promotion to Admiral. He is often criticized by the media for his wasteful and luxurious lifestyle he leads with the money from the state.