Dirk Dubois joined the Belgian Army in 1981 at the age of 18. After completing 4.5 years of study at the Royal Military Academy, he graduated with a Master’s degree in Social and Military Sciences. In the first part of his career, he served in operational units as a field artillery officer, instructor, and staff officer at the Belgian Artillery School.
During this period, he was deployed abroad on several occasions. On one of these operational deployments, he worked as a liaison officer with the United Nations, the European Union, and local civilian authorities, gaining valuable experience in how civilian and military efforts can complement each other to achieve better outcomes.
In 2004, he moved to the Belgian Defence Headquarters, where he became part of the team responsible for developing and monitoring the strategic management objectives of Belgian Defence. Following a reorganisation in 2007, he successfully applied for the position of Training Manager at the European Security and Defence College (ESDC). In this role, he organised numerous courses and played an active role in launching the European initiative for the exchange of young officers, known as 'Erasmus Militaire'.
He held this post until 2012, when he returned to the Belgian Defence Headquarters as Head of the Division for External Relations within the Directorate-General for Education. This position allowed him to chair the Implementation Group for the European initiative for the exchange of young officers and to further promote the recognition of military qualifications by civilian authorities at the national level.
In 2014, he applied for the position of Head of the European Security and Defence College. He was appointed by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and assumed office on 1 April 2015. In December 2017, EU Member States agreed by consensus to extend his mandate until 2022.
During his career, he received several honours. In December 2017, he was granted the right to wear the Golden Ring of the Theresan Military Academy in Austria, recognising his contribution to the Academy’s internationalisation. In 2020, the Chair of the NATO Military Committee appointed him as a member of the NATO Defence College’s Advisory Academic Board. In September 2021, he was awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the Vasil Levski National Military University in Bulgaria, recognising his significant contribution to military science and European higher military education.
On 31 August 2022, he completed his term as a temporary official of the European External Action Service and stepped down as Head of the ESDC. Since retiring, he has become more active as a volunteer for Natuurpunt, the largest Flemish nature conservation organisation. He contributes to the organisation’s work by monitoring wildlife populations in northern Antwerp and participating in activities to promote biodiversity and preserve or restore natural habitats, including in the Port of Antwerp.