Johannes Stefanus Joseph "Hans" Hillen (born June 17, 1947) is a Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal

Christian Democratic Appeal

The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...

 (CDA). He is the current Minister of Defence

Ministry of Defence (Netherlands)

The Netherlands Ministry of Defence governs the Netherlands Armed Forces. The Minister is assisted by a State Secretary...

 in the Rutte cabinet.

Early life

Hillen studied sociology

Sociology

Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...

 at Utrecht University

Utrecht University

Utrecht University is a university in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands and one of the largest in Europe. Established March 26, 1636, it had an enrollment of 29,082 students in 2008, and employed 8,614 faculty and staff, 570 of which are full professors....

. He has been a (sports) journalist for the Nederlandse Omroep Stichting

Nederlandse Omroep Stichting

The Nederlandse Omroep Stichting , English: Netherlands Broadcasting Foundation, is one of the broadcasters in the Netherlands Public Broadcasting system...

 (NOS), teacher and civil servant (in the eighties he was spokesman of minister of Finance Onno Ruding

Onno Ruding

Herman Onno Christiaan Rudolf Ruding is a former Dutch banker and politician. He is a member of the Christian Democratic Appeal ....

 and defender of his outspoken budget cuts) before entering in politics

Politics

From 1990 till 2002 he was a member of the House of Representatives and from 2007 till 2010 a member of the Senate. Since 14 October 2010 he's minister of Defence. He is in favor of a strong defence and close ties with NATO.

Other activities

From 2003 till 2007 Hillen was president of CVZ, the Dutch council for the healthcare, and from 2005 till 2010 a member of the executive board of the Dutch employers' organization

Employers' organization

An employers' organization, employers' association or employers' federation is an association of employers. A trade union, which organizes employees is the opposite of an employers' organization...

 VNO-NCW

VNO-NCW

VNO-NCW is a Dutch employers' federation.-History:VNO-NCW was founded in 1996 as fusion of the Christian-democratic Nederlands Christelijk Werkgeversverbond , which was founded as fusion of the Protestant PCW and the Catholic NKW, and the liberal Verbond van Nederlandse Ondernemingen...

. He also did some writing, he wrote columns for Elsevier

Elsevier (magazine)

Elsevier is a Dutch weekly magazine with a circulation of over 140,000 copies. Its chief editor is Arendo Joustra. It is conventionally considered to be one of the four most influential written media in its sector, along with De Groene Amsterdammer, Vrij Nederland and HP/De Tijd-History:The...

 and Katholiek Nieuwsblad.

Furthermore he is involved in the Edmund Burke Foundation, a Dutch conservative

Conservatism

Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...

 think tank

Think tank

A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...

. In 2004 he left the advisory council because a conflict of opinion with prominent co-member Bart Jan Spruyt

Bart Jan Spruyt

Dr. Bastian Jan Spruyt is a Dutch historian, journalist and conservative writer.-Academic background:...

, who wanted to found a new political party with Geert Wilders

Geert Wilders

Geert Wilders is a Dutch right-wing politician and leader of the Party for Freedom , the third-largest political party in the Netherlands. He is the Parliamentary group leader of his party in the Dutch House of Representatives...

.

Personal life

Hillen is married and resides in Hilversum

Hilversum

is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Located in the region called "'t Gooi", it is the largest town in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller villages...

. He is a member of the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

.

External links

Drs. J.S.J. (Hans) Hillen (Parlement & Politiek) Drs. J.S.J. Hillen (CDA) (Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal)