Chief of the Defence Staff (France)

The French Republic Chief of the Defence Staff Chef d'État-Major des Armées
E.M.A Insignia Insigne de l'État-Major des armées
Chief of the Defence Staff Naval Jack
Incumbent General Pierre de Villiers since 15 February 2014
Ministry of Defence
Member of	Chiefs of Staff Committee
Reports to	Minister of Defence
Seat	Paris, France
Nominator	Minister of Defence
Appointer	President of the Republic Require Prime Minister's countersignature
Term length	No fixed term
Formation	25th Chief since April 28, 1948
First holder	Jean-Louis Borel (1874-1875)
Website	http://www.defense.gouv.fr

The Chief of the Defence Staff (French: Chef d'État-Major des Armées) (acronym: C.E.M.A) is the chief of defence of the French military.

C.E.M.A is currently held by Général Pierre de Villiers.

Functions

The Chef d'État-Major des Armées (English: Chief of the Defense Staff; French: CEMA) is, in virtue of decree dispositions of July 15, 2009, under the authority of the President of France and the French government, responsible for the use of forces and assuming the command of all military operations. CEMA is the military counselar of the government. CEMA has authority over the:

• Chief of Staff of the French Army (French: Chef d'État-Major de l'Armée de Terre, CEMAT)
• Chief of Staff of the French Air Force (French: Chef d'État-Major de l'Armée de l'Air, CEMAA)
• Chief of Staff of the French Navy (French: Chef d'État-Major de la Marine, CEMM)
• Direction générale de la Gendarmerie Nationale (French: Direction Générale de la Gendarmerie nationale (DGGN)
• Directors and general chiefs of various inter-arm institutions that are attached to his command structure. CEMA is the authority of the l'État-Major des armées.

CEMA responsibilities consist of:

• The inter-arm organizations and the general organization of the armed forces
• The expression of the need in material of human resources of the armed forces, the inter-arm institutions, and the definition of the ensemble format of the armed forces.
• The preparation and condition assignments of recruiting in the armed forces
• Support of the armed forces ( CEMA determines the general organizations and objectives. CEMA assures the operational maintenance in condition of all equipments. CEMA determines the inter-arm needs of various material infrastructures and that of the armed fores while verifying status of operability)

Responsibilities and authorities

The Chief of the Defence Staff (C.E.M.A) of the armed forces assumed two principal functions:

• Assisting the Minister of Defence in the preparation and organisation of the armed forces
• under the authority of the President and the Government, maintaining overall command of military operations and proposing the military measures to adopt (general strategy).

C.E.M.A is responsible for :

• Conduct of operations : plans of use, general articulation of forces, distribution of operational means between theatre commanders (over whom he has full authority)
• Forces preparation : CEMA is in check of forces aptitude in missions completion and has a permanent right of inspection over these forces;
• Future Preparation : planning and programming of military capacities. Oversees in effect of coherence in means of the armed forces and participates to the preparation and various executions of associated military and defence budgets.
• Inter-arm organization: Oversees the coherence of the armed forces organization
• Military relations with foreign militaries: CEMA directs French foreign military missions in foreign theatres, organizes the participation of the armed forces in regards to military cooperations, following international mandated negotiations and represents France at the varuous military committees of international organizations.

Directly under the CEMA authority are :

• Chief of Staff of the French Army (CEMAT)
• Chief of Staff of the French Air Force (CEMAA)
• Chief of Staff of the French Navy (CEMM)
• Direction générale de la Gendarmerie Nationale (DGGN)
• The Inspection of the Armed Forces (IDA)
• Superior commanders in the collective and overseas territorial departments and the commanders of the French forces in foreign areas (COMSUP and COMFOR), the général officers of the defense security zones (OGZDS) and the military departmental deleguates (DMD)
• Inter-arm institutions:
  • Direction du renseignement militaire (DRM) – Directorate of Military Intelligence
  • French Special Operations Command (French: Commandement des Opérations Spéciales (COS))
  • état-major interarmées de force et d'entraînement (EMIA-FE)
  • Direction centrale du service de santé des armées (DCSSA) – Military Medical Services
  • Direction centrale du service des essences des armées (DCSEA) – Military Fuel Services
  • Direction interarmées des réseaux d'infrastructures et des systèmes d'information (DIRISI)– Inter-arm infrastructure and Information Systems Directorate
  • enseignement militaire supérieur.

Chefs d'État-Major des armées

Chef d'État-Major général de l'Armée (1874-1914)

• Général de division Jean-Louis Borel : 1874-1875
• Général de division Henri Gresley : 1875-1877
• Général de division Marie-Joseph François de Miribel : 1878-1879
• Général de division Léopold Davout (1829-1904) : 1879-1880
• Général de division Omer Arsène Blot : 1880-1881
• Général de division Achille Ernest Vuillemot : 1882-1883
• Général de division Amédée de Cools : 1884-1885
• Général de division Savin de Larclause : 1886-1887
• Général de division Charles Haillot : 1888-1890
• Général de division Joseph de Miribel : 1891-1893
• Général de division Raoul Le Mouton de Boisdeffre : 1894-1898
• Général de division Paul Marie Brault  : 1899-1901
• Général de division Jean Pendezec : 1901-1905
• Général de division Jean Brun (général) : 1906-1909
• Général de division Édouard Laffon de Ladebat : 1910-1911
• Général de division Auguste Dubail : 1911
• Général de division Joseph Joffre : 1912-1914

Commandant en chef des armées françaises (1915-1918)

While non official, the term Generalissimo or « French: Généralissime » was employed since 1914 to designate the individual who in reality was « Commandant en Chef des Armées du Nord et du Nord-Est » (English: Commander-in-Chief of the armies of the North and North-East). The term would be made official in 1915 when Joffre was also given command over the Salonika front (a degree of authority not enjoyed by his successors). The rank and post was successively occupied by three generals during World War I: Joseph Joffre, who occupied the rank and functions from August 1914 without bearing the official title, then Robert Nivelle and Philippe Pétain.

Général Ferdinand Foch was the Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Zone under Joseph Joffre in autumn 1914; this role later crystallised into command of French Army Group North, a position which Foch held until December 1916. Subsequently, Foch became Supreme Allied Commander on the Western Front with the title Généralissime in 1918 then was designated as « Commandant en Chef des Armées Alliées » (English:Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces) starting May 14, 1918.^[1] Foch was promoted to Marshal of France prior the planning of the offensive that led to the Armistice of 11 November 1918. Following the armistice, Marshal Ferdinand Foch was elevated to the diginity of the Marshal of Great Britain and Poland.

N#	Portrait	Rank	Name	Service Branch	Command Tenure			Minister of War	President of France
					Tenure From	Tenure Until	Duration of Teunure
17.		Generalissimo Général de division[2] (elevated to the diginity of Maréchal de France)	Joseph Joffre	French Army	December 2, 1915	December 17, 1916	1 year, 15 days	Joseph Gallieni Pierre Roques Louis Lyautey	Raymond Poincaré
18.		Général de division	Robert Nivelle	French Army	December 17, 1916	May 15, 1917	149 days	Louis Lyautey Lucien Lacaze Paul Painlevé	Raymond Poincaré
19.		Général de division (elevated to the dignity of Maréchal de France)	Philippe Pétain	French Army	May 17, 1917	March 28, 1918	315 days	Paul Painlevé Georges Clemenceau	Raymond Poincaré

Commandant en chef des Armées alliées (1918-1920)

N#	Portrait	Rank	Name	Service Branch	Command Tenure			Minister of War	President of France
					Tenure From	Tenure Until	Duration of Teunure
20.		Marshal of France Supreme Allied Commander on the Western Front with title bearing Généralissime (British Field Marshal 22nd Royal First Honorary Colonel Marshal of Poland following the war)	Ferdinand Foch	French Army	March 28, 1918	January 10, 1920	1 year, 288days	Georges Clemenceau	Raymond Poincaré

Chef d'État-Major général des armées françaises (1920-1940)

N#	Portrait	Rank	Name	Service Branch	Command Tenure			Prime Minister	President of France
					Tenure From	Tenure Until	Duration of Teunure
21.		Général d'armée	Edmond Buat	French Army	June 24, 1920	December 30, 1923	3 years, 189 days	Alexandre Millerand Georges Leygues Aristide Briand Raymond Poincaré	Paul Deschanel Alexandre Millerand
22.		Generalissimo	Marie-Eugène Debeney	French Army	January 1, 1924	1930	6 years	Raymond Poincaré Frédéric François-Marsal Édouard Herriot Paul Painlevé Aristide Briand André Tardieu	Alexandre Millerand Gaston Doumergue
23.		Général d'armée	Maxime Weygand	French Army	1930	1935	5 years	Camille Chautemps André Tardieu Théodore Steeg Pierre Laval	Gaston Doumergue
24.		Général d'armée	Maurice Gamelin	French Army	1935	1940	5 years	Pierre Laval Albert Sarraut Léon Blum Camille Chautemps Édouard Daladier Paul Reynaud	Gaston Doumergue Paul Doumer Albert Lebrun

Chef d'État-Major général des forces armées (1948-1950)

N#	Portrait	Rank	Name	Service Branch	Command Tenure			Prime Minister	President of France
					Tenure From	Tenure Until	Duration of Teunure
25.		Général de division	Henri Zeller	French Army	April 28, 1948	March 31, 1950	1 year, 337 days	Robert Schuman André Marie Henri Queuille Georges Bidault	Vincent Auriol

Chef d'État-Major combiné des forces armées (1950-1953)

N#	Portrait	Rank	Name	Service Branch	Command Tenure			Prime Minister	President of France
					Tenure From	Tenure Until	Duration of Teunure
26.		Général de division	Henri Zeller	French Army	April 1, 1950	August 20, 1951	1 year, 144 days	Henri Queuille René Pleven	Vincent Auriol
27.		Air Force General 1st Air Force General in this post	Charles Léchères	French Air Force	August 20, 1951	August 20, 1952	1 year, 0 days	Henri Queuille René Pleven Edgar Faure Antoine Pinay	Vincent Auriol
28.		Général d'armée (elevated to the dignity of Maréchal de France)	Alphonse Juin	French Army	August 20, 1952	August 17, 1953	362 days	Antoine Pinay René Mayer Joseph Laniel	Vincent Auriol

Chef d'État-Major des forces armées (1953-1958)

N#	Portrait	Rank	Name	Service Branch	Command Tenure			Prime Minister	President of France
					Tenure From	Tenure Until	Duration of Teunure
29.		Général d'armée	Paul Ély	French Army	August 18, 1953	June 3, 1954	289 days	Joseph Laniel	Vincent Auriol René Coty
30.		Général d'armée	Augustin Guillaume	French Army	June 4, 1954	February 28, 1956	1 year, 269 days	Joseph Laniel Pierre Mendès France Edgar Faure Guy Mollet	René Coty
31.		Général d'armée	Paul Ély	French Army	March 2, 1956	May 16, 1958	2 years, 75 days	Guy Mollet Maurice Bourgès-Maunoury Félix Gaillard Pierre Pflimlin	René Coty

Chef d'État-Major général des armées (1958-1961)

N#	Portrait	Rank	Name	Service Branch	Command Tenure			Prime Minister	President of France
					Tenure From	Tenure Until	Duration of Teunure
32.		Général d'armée	Henri Lorillot	French Army	May 17, 1958	June 8, 1958	22 days	Pierre Pflimlin Charles de Gaulle	René Coty
33.		Général d'armée	Paul Ély	French Army	June 9, 1958	February 11, 1959	247 days	Charles de Gaulle Michel Debré	René Coty Charles de Gaulle
34.		Général d'armée	Gaston Lavaud	French Army	February 25, 1959	April 10, 1961	2 years, 44 days	Michel Debré	Charles de Gaulle

Chef d'État-Major interarmées (1961-1962)

N#	Portrait	Rank	Name	Service Branch	Command Tenure			Prime Minister	President of France
					Tenure From	Tenure Until	Duration of Teunure
35		Air Force General 2nd Air Force General in this post	André Martin	French Air Force	April 11, 1961	July 15, 1962	1 year, 95 days	Michel Debré Georges Pompidou	Charles de Gaulle

Chef d'État-Major des armées (1962-Present)

N#	Portrait	Rank	Name	Service Branch	Command Tenure			Minister of War	President of France
					Tenure From	Tenure Until	Duration of Teunure
36.		Général d'armée	Charles Ailleret	French Army	July 16, 1962	March 9, 1968	5 years, 237 days	Georges Pompidou	Charles de Gaulle
37.		Air Force General	Michel Fourquet	French Air Force	April 1, 1968	June 8, 1971	3 years, 68 days	Georges Pompidou Maurice Couve de Murville Jacques Chaban-Delmas	Charles de Gaulle Georges Pompidou
38.		Air Force General	François Maurin	French Air Force	June 9, 1971	June 30, 1975	4 years, 21 days	Jacques Chaban-Delmas Pierre Messmer Jacques Chirac	Georges Pompidou Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
39.		Général d'armée	Guy Méry	French Army	July 1, 1975	July 19, 1980	5 years, 18 days	Jacques Chirac Raymond Barre	Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
40.		Général d'armée	Claude Vanbremeersch	French Army	July 20, 1980	January 31, 1981	195 days	Raymond Barre	Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
41.		Général d'armée	Jeannou Lacaze	French Army	February 1, 1981	July 31, 1985	4 years, 180 days	Raymond Barre Pierre Mauroy Laurent Fabius	Valéry Giscard d'Estaing François Mitterrand
42.		Air Force General	Jean Saulnier	French Air Force	August 1, 1985	November 13, 1987	2 years, 104 days	Laurent Fabius Jacques Chirac	François Mitterrand
43.		Général d'armée	Maurice Schmitt	French Army	November 14, 1987	April 23, 1991	3 years, 221 days	Jacques Chirac Michel Rocard	François Mitterrand
44.		Amiral 1st Admiral in this post	Jacques Lanxade	French Navy	April 24, 1991	September 8, 1995	4 years, 137 days	Michel Rocard Édith Cresson Pierre Bérégovoy Édouard Balladur Alain Juppé	François Mitterrand Jacques Chirac
45.		Air Force General	Jean-Philippe Douin	French Air Force	September 9, 1995	April 7, 1998	2 years, 210 days	Alain Juppé Lionel Jospin	Jacques Chirac
46.		Général d'armée	Jean-Pierre Kelche	French Army	April 9, 1998	October 29, 2002	4 years, 203 days	Lionel Jospin Jean-Pierre Raffarin	Jacques Chirac
47.		Général d'armée	Henri Bentégeat	French Army	October 30, 2002	October 3, 2006	3 years, 338 days	Jean-Pierre Raffarin Dominique de Villepin	Jacques Chirac
48.		Général d'armée	Jean-Louis Georgelin[3]	French Army	October 4, 2006	February 24, 2010	3 years, 143 days	Dominique de Villepin François Fillon	Jacques Chirac Nicolas Sarkozy
49.		Amiral 2nd Admiral in this post	Édouard Guillaud[4]	French Navy	February 25, 2010	February 14, 2014	3 years, 354 days	François Fillon Jean-Marc Ayrault	Nicolas Sarkozy François Hollande
50.		Général d'armée	Pierre de Villiers[5]	French Army	February 15, 2014	Present		Jean-Marc Ayrault Manuel Valls	François Hollande

See also

• Jean de Lattre de Tassigny
• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the US counterpart
• Chief of Federal Armed Forces Staff, the German counterpart
• Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom), UK counterpart
• Chief of Staff of the French Army (French: Chef d'État-Major de l'Armée de Terre, CEMAT)
• Chief of Staff of the French Air Force (French: Chef d'État-Major de l'Armée de l'Air, CEMAA)
• Chief of Staff of the French Navy (French: Chef d'État-Major de la Marine, CEMM)
• Direction générale de la Gendarmerie Nationale (French: Direction Générale de la Gendarmerie nationale (DGGN))
• French Special Operations Command (French: Commandement des Opérations Spéciales (COS))
• Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic
• Head of the Prime Minister's military cabinet
• Head of the Minister of Defence's military cabinet

References

1. Lexique des termes employés en 1914-1918
2. The highest rank then
3. « Jean-Louis Georgelin nommé chef d'État-Major des armées ».
4. « L’amiral Guillaud, nouveau chef d’État-Major des armées », sur le site defense.gouv.fr.
5. Mesures d'ordre individuel Archived 22 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine..

Sources

• This page is a translation of fr:Chef d'état-major des armées.
• (French) Décret N° 2009-869. Retrieved on 2013-07-10.