Multi-century U.S.-Dutch history focal point of latest CGSC International Hall of Fame induction

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. – Many U.S. Army Command and General Staff College International Hall of Fame induction ceremonies have a moment where the induct… FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. – Many U.S. Army Command and General Staff College International Hall of Fame induction ceremonies have a moment where the inductee reminisces about the “Best Year of their Life” at the Command and General Staff Officer Course and the lasting friendships with sponsors and classmates. Lt. Gen. Jan-Willem Maas, Commander, Joint Forces Command, Netherlands, and latest inductee at the Oct. 16, 2026, ceremony, instead spoke to the withstanding partnership of the U.S. and Netherlands, which spans centuries. “This relationship [U.S.-Dutch] did not start with a treaty signed by cautious men in a quiet room.

It started with a decision on a beach, before anyone knew how the story would end. And it never really stopped,” Maas said. “Two and a half centuries later, Dutch and American soldiers still train on each other's soil. American officers walk through Dutch academies, and Dutch officers walk through American ones, just as they do here. Somewhere along the way, without much ceremony, this became the oldest continuous friendship the United States has with any nation. It is not the loudest alliance, nor the largest, but it is one of the steadiest.” A direct reflection of the alliance,