Édouard Guillaud

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Officier general francais 5 etoiles.svg Édouard Guillaud
Eurocorps Strasbourg passage de commandement 28 juin 2013 36.jpg
Admiral Édouard Guillaud, France
25th Chief of the Defence Staff
Birth nameÉdouard François Jean-Louis Guillaud
Born (1953-07-10) 10 July 1953 (age 72)
Paris, France
AllegianceFlag of France.svg France
Branch Roundel of the French Fleet Air Arm.svg French Navy
Service years1973 – 2014
Rank French Navy-Rama NG-OF9.svg Amiral
Commands PA Charles de Gaulle
PA Clemenceau
Maritime prefect
Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic
Chief of the Defence Staff
Conflicts Lebanese Civil War
Gulf War
Libyan Civil War
Mali War
Awards Legion Honneur GO ribbon.svg Grand Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour
Ordre national du Merite Officier ribbon.svg Officer of the National Order of Merit
Ordre du Merite maritime Officier ribbon.svg Officer of the Order of Maritime Merit

Édouard François Jean-Louis Guillaud (French: [edwaʁɡijo] ; born 10 July 1953) is a French retired admiral who served as Chief of the Defence Staff from 2010 to 2014. [1] He devoted a significant part of his career to the design of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, the flagship of the French Navy, and eventually captained it as its first commanding officer at sea. Prior to his appointment at the general staff headquarters of the Armed Forces, Guillaud served as Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic from 2006 to 2010.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Born in 1953 in Paris, Guillaud is the son of journalist Jean-Louis Guillaud (French : Jean-Louis Guillaud ), a former president of the Agence France-Presse and TF1. [1] He studied at the Lycée Hector Berlioz in Vincennes and at the Private Lycée Sainte-Geneviève in Versailles.

Military career

General Guillaud with CENTCOM commander General Jim Mattis and Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff General Walter Natynczyk during the 7th International Institute for Strategic Studies Regional Security Summit on 3 December 2010. Gen. James Mattis visits Bahrain (5234006885).jpg
General Guillaud with CENTCOM commander General Jim Mattis and Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff General Walter Natynczyk during the 7th International Institute for Strategic Studies Regional Security Summit on 3 December 2010.

Édouard joined the École Navale in 1973. [2] As an enseigne de vaisseau (vessel ensign), he first served on the patroller La Paimpolaise from 1976 to 1978, monitoring the nuclear trials in Mururoa, French Polynesia. [3] Afterwards, he served consecutively for one year on two French nuclear ballistic missile submarines SNLE L'Indomptable and Le Redoutable, following which he took command in 1979 of the minesweeper Lobelia, for another year until 1980. The next year, he studied for a specialisation in gunnery and missiles.

In the early 1980s, Guillaud was sent in exchange in the United States. As a Lieutenant de Vaisseau (Lieutenant) from 1981 to 1984, he then served as service chief on the aviso Amyot d'Inville and the squadron escorteurs launch missile Du Chayla, then as a service operations chief on the squadron escorteur launch missile Kersaint, cruising off the seas between Iran and Lebanon in 1983. [2] [3]

From 1984 to 1987, he worked on the nuclear aircraft carrier programme, particularly on expert systems in the programming environment of the ship. [4] He was promoted to Capitaine de corvette in 1985. [2]

In 1987 he took command of the BATRAL Dumont d'Urville for one year, taking part in the operations related to the Ouvéa cave hostage taking on Ouvéa, New Caledonia. [3]

Guillaud went on to study at the Superior Naval War School (French : École Supérieure de Guerre Navale, ESGN) and the School of Military Application for Atomic Energy (French : École des Applications Militaires de l'Energie Atomique, EAMEA), rising to Capitaine de frégate in 1989. [2] He specialised in nuclear engineering, obtaining a degree in 1990. [2]

In 1991, with the start of the Gulf War, Guillaud was sent on the Clemenceau, where he served as a Maneuver Officer. [2]

In 1992, he took command of the aviso-escort Enseigne de vaisseau Henry (F749). In 1993, he re-integrated the design team for the nuclear carrier. Guillaud was promoted to Capitaine de vaisseau in 1996. The following year, he took the position of second officer on the Charles De Gaulle, which was then being completed in Brest. [2]

From 1999 to 2001, Guillaud captained the nuclear carrier Charles De Gaulle, supervising carrier de Gaulle's trials and fittings. The next year, he studied at the Centre des hautes études militaires CHEM and at the Institut des hautes études de Défense nationale IHEDN.

Admiral

Guillaud in Brazil for negotiations regarding export of Dassault Rafale aircraft to Brazil, 1 October 2009 Edouard Guillaud.jpg
Guillaud in Brazil for negotiations regarding export of Dassault Rafale aircraft to Brazil, 1 October 2009

From 2002 to 2004, he served as the assistant (French : adjoint) chief to the navy of the Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic.

Between 2004 and 2006, Contre-Amiral (Counter-Admiral) Guillaud was préfet maritime for the English Channel and the North Sea. He was promoted to Vice-Amiral (Vice-Admiral) on 1 April 2006. [2] The same year, he was called by Jacques Chirac to take on the position of Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic CEMP-P.R., replacing General Jean-Louis Georgelin; Guillaud took the office on 4 October, and was confirmed in this role in May 2007 after the election of Nicolas Sarkozy. As a Vice-amiral d'escadre (Squadron vice-admiral), he was promoted to Amiral (Admiral) in December 2007.

Guillaud has taken office as chief of the general staff headquarters of the Armies CEMA on 25 February 2010, and is the second Admiral of France to take this post. [5]

During the Libyan Civil War, he commanded the French forces enforcing the Libyan no-fly zone. [6]

In 2013 he commanded the French Forces in the Mali Civil War.

He left active duty service on 14 February 2014 when général Pierre de Villiers succeeded him at head of the armies. He assumed a French armament directorate until 2017.

Decorations and medals

RibbonsDecorations
Legion Honneur GO ribbon.svg Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour (France, elevated from Officer) [2]
Ordre national du Merite Officier ribbon.svg Officer of the National order of Merit (France)
Ordre du Merite maritime Officier ribbon.svg Officer of the Ordre du Mérite Maritime
Medaille de l'Aeronautique ribbon.svg Médaille de l'Aéronautique
Medaille d'Outre-Mer (Coloniale) ribbon.svg Médaille d'Outre-Mer with two bars
Medaille de la Defense Nationale Bronze ribbon.svg Médaille de la Défense nationale échelon bronze with two bars
Medaille de Reconnaissance de la Nation (d'Afrique du Nord) ribbon.svg Médaille de reconnaissance de la Nation with bar
BRA Ordem de Rio Branco Gra-Cruz BAR.svg Grand Cross of the Order of Rio Branco (Brazil)
BRA OMFA - OMD Oficial BAR.svg Officer of the Order of Defence Merit (Brazil)
Order of King Abdulaziz, Commander (Saudi Arabia).png Grand Officer of the Order of King Abdulaziz al Saud (Saudi Arabia)
OPMM-guX.svg Grand Officer of the Order pro Merito Melitensi (Malta, elevated from Officer)
TCH Rad Bileho Lva 2 tridy (pre1990) BAR.svg Ordre du Lion blanc, 2ième classe (République tchèque)
Order of Naval Merit - Grand Officer (Brazil) - ribbon bar.png Grand Officer of the Order of Naval Merit (Brazil)
US Legion of Merit Commander ribbon.png Commander of the Legion of Merit
ESP Isabella Catholic Order COM.svg Commander of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain)
POL Order Zaslugi RP kl1 BAR.svg Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
MRT Commander Order of National Merit.png Commander of the National Order of Merit (Mauritania)
Burkina Faso Ordre national Commandeur ribbon.svg National Order of Burkina Faso, Commander
LBN Order of Merit of Lebanon 1st class BAR.svg Order of Merit, First Class (Lebanon), 1983
Order of the British Empire (Military) Ribbon.png Order of the British Empire, Honorary Knight Commander (Military), 2014
Mali Ordre national du Mali GO ribbon.svg National Order of Mali, Grand Officer
Cote d'Ivoire Ordre national Commandeur ribbon.svg National Order of the Ivory Coast, Commander

See also

Sources and references

  1. 1 2 L'amiral Guillaud devient chef d'état-major, Agence France-Presse- Le Figaro (in French), 27 January 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ">Sauvegarde maritime, bilan de l'action de la marine nationale 2005/2006, French Ministry of Defence.
  3. 1 2 3 L'amiral Guillaud, un marin très "ops", Jean-Dominique Merchet, Libération .
  4. ↑ Défenseur de la mer patrie, Jean-Dominique Merchet, Libération
  5. ↑ L'amiral Edouard Guillaud, nouveau chef d'état-major des armées, Le Monde
  6. ↑ Traynor, Ian (25 March 2011). "Nato to decide within days whether to take control of Libya military action". The Guardian.
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