Captain Thomas Stig Rasmussen

Thomas Stig Rasmussen commissioned as a Lieutenant in 1995. His early career was spent in ocean patrol vessels and frigates deployed to the Baltic Sea, North Atlantic, Arctic, the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and the Middle East. This included a deployment to the Northern Arabian Gulf on Operation IRAQI FREEDOM in the spring of 2003, primarily safeguarding key maritime infrastructure. In 2005-06, Rasmussen spent 12 months as Staff Above Water Warfare Officer to the Commander Standing NATO Maritime Group One. This rewarding period saw intensive exercise activities and operational deployments to the Mediterranean serving on Dutch and German frigates. He completed the Joint Staff Course in 2007 and then worked as Branch Chief Operations to Commander Danish Task Group. This tenure included an operational deployment in 2008 to the Indian Ocean with HDMS ABSALON in Operation ENDURING FREEDOM as part of Commander Task Force 150 staff. He then joined the Concept Development Branch of Defence Command Denmark in 200911. After that, he took the role as Deputy Branch Chief of International Operations at Admiral Danish Fleet Headquarters, responsible for the planning and execution of the Navy´s international operations. From there Rasmussen assumed the position as Executive Officer of the frigate HDMS ESBERN SNARE in 2013. The period saw operational deployments to the Indian Ocean in NATO´s Counter Piracy Operation Ocean Shield and to the Eastern Mediterranean in Operation RECSYR, the Danish led operation to remove chemical weapons from Syria. He commanded HDMS ESBERN SNARE from April 2015 until January 2018, taking the frigate through the ordeal of UK Flag Officer Sea Training and deployments to the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean as part of NATO Standing Maritime Group One. In January 2018, he transferred to the position as Chief of Staff of the 2nd Squadron, overseeing the operation of Danish frigates, mine warfare vessels and Fleet Diving Unit. Rasmussen then served three years as ACOS International Policy at Defence Command Denmark from December 2019. On promotion to Captain in October 2022, he joined the Danish Naval Command as ACOS Operations. In 2024-25, as Commodore, Rasmussen was in command of Standing NATO Maritime Group one, conducting NATO Operation BRILLIANT SHIELD in the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea. Rasmussen took up his present position in January 2025. He is a 2024 graduate from the the Defence Academy of United Kingdom Higher Command and Staff Course.