Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps Henk Buijs officially assumed command of Marine Base Savaneta in Aruba on Wednesday, July 8, succeeding Lieutenant Colonel Tim van Wijk. The change of command took place during a military ceremony at Marine Base Savaneta.
Ceremony at the Barracks
The ceremony was attended by His Excellency the Governor of Aruba, Alfonso Boekhoudt, Prime Minister Mike Eman, and Commander Walter Hansen, Commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy in the Caribbean. Representatives of the Government of Aruba, Defense, international partners, family members, and other invited guests were also in attendance.
Four Years of Cooperation
Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps Tim van Wijk looks back with pride on his four years as commander of the base. During that period, Marine Base Savaneta further developed as the home base of Marine Squadron Carib and as a key strategic asset for the region. Under his leadership, the military base not only focused on operational readiness and support for its own and visiting units, but also invested significantly in strengthening cooperation with Aruba and the countries of the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.
Van Wijk expressed his gratitude and pride for the cooperation with the personnel and all partners who, over the past four years, worked together to strengthen security in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.
According to Van Wijk:
“The strength of Savaneta lies not only in our operational readiness, but above all in the people and the partnerships we have built together.”
A New Chapter
Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps Henk Buijs will focus on further strengthening operational readiness, expanding cooperation with partners, and preparing the unit for future operations. Contributing to security and stability throughout the Caribbean will remain the primary priority.
According to Buijs:
“We stand ready whenever the Kingdom calls upon us, together with our security partners. At the same time, we continue building our readiness for the challenges of tomorrow.”
