Commander Michael Pirard

Head of Sub-Section MCM at Naval Systems Directorate General Material Resources

Michael Pirard graduated from the Royal Military Academy in Brussels in 2004 and began his naval career aboard the Tripartite minehunters, where he served for four years. Following this operational experience, he joined the Directorate General Material Resources (DGMR), Naval Systems, taking on a range of responsibilities in budgeting and material management. In 2018, Michael was appointed Head of Navy Logistic Support in Zeebruges. During this time, he pursued the Advanced Military Administrative Course, earning an advanced master’s degree in Military and Public Administration. In 2021, he moved to the Public Procurement Division (Naval Systems), serving as the lead Functionary for the rMCM program, responsible for the replacement of the Mine Countermeasure fleet. In 2024, Michael returned to the Systems Division (Naval Systems) as Head of the MCM Branch. In this role, he oversees both the legacy Flower-Class vessels and the new Naval Mine Warfare Capacity (NMWC) City-Class, guiding the integration of these two critical capabilities to strengthen naval mine countermeasure operations.