Benoît Puga

Benoît Puga (born in Saint-Mandé, 30 January 1953) is a French général de corps d'armée. Since 1 September 2008, he has headed the Direction du renseignement militaire.

Biography
After two years of preparatory classes at the Prytanée national militaire, in September 1973, Puga started the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr. Upon graduation, he choose Infantry and joined the École d'application de l'infanterie in Montpellier.

After serving two years as section leader of the 1er Groupe de Chasseurs in Reims, with the rank of lieutenant, and a period with a reconnaissance helicopter unit, in April 1978 he joined the 2e régiment étranger de parachutistes, based in Calvi. He took part in numerous operations abroad, notably the Battle of Kolwezi (May 1978), in Gabon (1979), in Djibuti (1980–1981), in Lebanon (1982), in Central African Republic (1983), and in Operation Manta in Chad (1984).

Between August 1984 and June 1989, he served with the operational centre of the Army; at the Strategic Studies Group of the Secrétariat général de la défense nationale; as a trainee at the École supérieure de guerre; and at the Cours supérieur interarmées.

In 1989, he took command of a battalion of the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr, until 1992, when he returned to the Headquarter of the Army, working at reorganising the operational command and at redacting the white book on Defence.

In 1994, he was sent to formed Yugoslavia as military assistant to general Bertrand de la Presle, and later as military counsellor to Carl Bildt.

In August 1996, he took command of the 2e régiment étranger de parachutistes, taking part in Operation Almandin in Central African Republic, and in Operation Pélican in Congo.

From 1998, he served as a professor at the Collège interarmées de défense; again as military counsellor to Carl Bildt; was auditor at the IHEDN and the CHEM; was second of the Centre opérationnel interarmées (Joint operation centre); and chief of the Centre de planification et de conduite des opérations.

In 2004, he was made chief of the Commandement des opérations spéciales.

In 2007, he was made under-chief for operations at the Army headquarter.

From 1 September 2008, he has headed the Direction du renseignement militaire.

Honours

 * Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur
 * Grand officier de l'ordre national du Mérite
 * Croix de la Valeur militaire with seven citations
 * Croix du combattant
 * Overseas Medal
 * Médaille de la Défense nationale (National Defence Medal) (bronze)
 * Médaille de reconnaissance de la Nation
 * Médaille commémorative française
 * Croix de la bravoure militaire (Zaire)
 * United Nations Medal for former Yugoslavia
 * NATO Medal for former Yugoslavia
 * Inter-African Medal for the Protection of the Bangui Agreements