Chief of the Defence Staff (France)
Encyclopedia
The Chief of the Defence Staff is the chief of staff
of the Military of France
. The position is currently held by Admiral Édouard Guillaud
.
He is responsible for :
Directly under his authority are :
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
of the Military of France
Military of France
The French Armed Forces encompass the French Army, the French Navy, the French Air Force and the National Gendarmerie. The President of the Republic heads the armed forces, with the title "chef des armées" . The President is the supreme authority for military matters and is the sole official who...
. The position is currently held by Admiral Édouard Guillaud
Édouard Guillaud
Admiral Édouard Guillaud is a French Navy officer and admiral. He has devoted a significant part of his career to the design of the Charles De Gaulle, and eventually captained her. He currently serves as Chief of the Defence Staff...
.
Functions
The Chief of the Defence Staff has two roles:- assisting the Minister of DefenceMinister of Defence (France)The Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs is the French government cabinet member charged with running the military of France....
in the preparation and organisation of the armed forces - under the authority of the President (who is overall commander in chief of the French armed forces), maintaining overall command of military operations and proposing the military measures to adopt (general strategy).
He is responsible for :
- the conduct of operations : plans of attack, general articulation of the forces, distribution of operational means between theatre commanders (over whom he has full authority)
- training : he checks their aptitude for their missions and has a permanent right of inspection over them ;
- preparation for the future : plans and programmes for military capacity. He oversees the pulling-together of the armed forces' means and participates in the preparation and execution of the defence budget ;
- inter-branch organisation : he oversees the forces' organisation.
- military relations with the armed forces of other nations : he directs military missions abroad, organises the French forces' participation in international missions and exercises, follows international negotiations and represents France on military committees of international organisations.
Directly under his authority are :
- the chefs d'état-major of each of the four arms (Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie,) ;
- the état-major des armées (EMA);
- the commandants supérieurs in the départements and overseas territories and the commandants of French forces abroad (COMSUP and COMFOR), the general staff of the zones de défense (OGZD) and the departmental military delegates (DMD);
- the inter-arm organs:
- the direction du renseignement militaireDirection du renseignement militaireThe Direction du renseignement militaire is a French intelligence agency that has the task of collecting and centralizing information for the French Armed Forces. Created in 1992, its role is similar to that of the US DIA, the UK DIS or the Russian GRU...
(DRM) – Director of Military Intelligence; - the commandement des opérations spécialesCommandement des Opérations SpécialesThe Commandement des Opérations Spéciales is the organisation which coordinates the use of the French special forces of all military branches . The COS was created on 24 June 1992, following the Gulf War...
(COS) – Commander of Special Operations; - the état-major interarmées de force et d'entraînement (EMIA-FE);
- the direction centrale du service de santé des armées (DCSSA) – Military Medical Services;
- the direction centrale du service des essences des armées (DCSEA) – Military Fuel Services;
- the direction interarmées des réseaux d'infrastructures et des systèmes d'information (DIRISI) – Inter-arm infrastructure and Information Systems directorate;
- the enseignement militaire supérieur.
- the direction du renseignement militaire
List of holders
- Général d'armée Paul Ely (August 1953 – June 1954)
- Général d'armée Augustin Guillaume (1954 – 28 February 1956) (Resignation)
- Général d'armée Paul Ely (March 1956 – May 1958)
- Général d'armée Henri Lorillot (May – June 1958)
- Général d'armée Paul Ely (June 1958 – February 1959)
- Général d'armée Gaston Lavaud (February 1959 – April 1961)
- Général d'armée aérienne André Martin (April 1961 – July 1962)
- Général d'armée Charles Ailleret (July 1962 – March 1968)
- Général d'armée aérienne Michel Fourquet (April 1968 – 9 June 1971)
- Général d'armée aérienne François Maurin (10 June 1971 – June 1975)
- Général d'armée Guy Méry (July 1975 – 19 July 1980)
- Général d'armée Claude Vanbremeersch (20 July 1980 – 31 January 1981)
- Général d'armée Jeannou LacazeJeannou LacazeJeannou Lacaze was a French army officer and politician who served in World War II, the First Indochina War, and the Algerian War before entering politics....
(1 February 1981 – July 1985) - Général d'armée aérienne Jean Saulnier (August 1985 – November 1987)
- Général d'armée Maurice Schmitt (November 1987 – 23 April 1991)
- Amiral Jacques LanxadeJacques LanxadeJacques Lanxade is a French admiral and former navy chief, and co-author of a recent proposed reform of NATO. He was a private chief of staff of François Mitterrand, President of the French Republic, from 1989 to 1991, and became chief of defense of the French Armed Forces from 1991 to 1995...
(24 April 1991 – 8 September 1995) - Général d'armée aérienne Jean-Philippe Douin (9 September 1995 – 29 April 1998)
- Général d'armée Jean-Pierre Kelche (9 April 1998 – 29 October 2002)
- Général d'armée Henri BentégeatHenri BentégeatHenri Bentégeat is a French Army general who served as the chairman of the European Union Military Committee between 2006 and 2009 .- Biography :...
(30 October 2002 – 3 October 2006) - Général d’armée Jean-Louis GeorgelinJean-Louis GeorgelinJean-Louis Georgelin is an Army General . Great Chancellor of the French national order of the Legion of honnor from the 9 June 2010...
(4 October 2006 – 24 February 2010) - Amiral Édouard GuillaudÉdouard GuillaudAdmiral Édouard Guillaud is a French Navy officer and admiral. He has devoted a significant part of his career to the design of the Charles De Gaulle, and eventually captained her. He currently serves as Chief of the Defence Staff...
(25 February 2010 – present)
See also
- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffChairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffThe Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces, and is the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council and the Secretary of Defense...
, the US equivalent - Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)The Chief of the Defence Staff is the professional head of the British Armed Forces, a senior official within the Ministry of Defence, and the most senior uniformed military adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Prime Minister...
, UK equivalent - Chief of Staff of the French ArmyChief of Staff of the French ArmyThe Chief of the Staff of the French Army is the professional head of the French Army. The current Chief of Staff of the French Army has been General Elrick Irastorza since 2 July 2008.-French Army Chiefs of Staff:*Raoul Le Mouton De Boisdeffre...
- Chief of Staff of the French NavyChief of Staff of the French Navythumb|Admiral Pierre-François Forissier, CEMMThe Chief of the Staff of the French Navy is the head of the French Navy and responsible to the Minister of Defence for its preparation and deployment.As a naval expert, he assists:...
- Chief of Staff of the French Air ForceChief of Staff of the French Air ForceThe Chief of the Staff of the French Air Force is the head of the French Air Force, under the French President and the Chief of the Defence Staff.- Chefs d'état-major général des forces aériennes :...
- Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the RepublicChief of the Military Staff of the President of the RepublicThe Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic is a role in the military and government of France, heading the president's military staff until the French Fifth Republic....
- Head of the Prime Minister's military cabinetHead of the Prime Minister's military cabinetThe head of the Prime Minister's military cabinet is a role in the military and government of France, heading the prime minister's military staff.* général Robert Gastaldi...
- Head of the Minister of Defence's military cabinetHead of the Minister of Defence's military cabinetThe head of the Minister of Defence's military cabinet is the head of the military cabinet and staff of the Minister of Defence within the military and government of France.* général André Martin : 1958-1959...
Source
- This page is a translation of :fr:Chef d'état-major des armées.