Édouard Guillaud

Admiral Édouard Guillaud (born 10 July 1953 ) 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. Guillaud assumed his current assignment on 25 February 2010.

Early life
Édouard Guillaud was born to the family of Jean-Louis Guillaud, former president of Agence France-Presse and TF1.

He studied at the lycée Hector Berlioz in Vincennes and at the Ecole Sainte Geneviève in Versailles. He joined the École navale in 1973.

Junior officer
Upon graduation, in 1978, he served on the escort Paimpolaise, monitoring the nuclear trials in Mururoa, and on the SNLE Indomptable and on the Redoutable. In 1979 Guillaud took command of the minesweeped Lobelia, for one year. The next year, he studied for a specialisation in gunnery and missiles.

In the early 80s, Guillaud was sent in exchange in the USA. He then served on the aviso Amyot d'Inville and the T 47 class destroyers Du Chayla and Kersaint, cruising off Iran and Lebanon in 1983.

From 1984 to 1987, he worked on the nuclear aircraft carrier programme, particularly on expert systems in the computer environment of the ship. He was promoted to capitaine de corvette in 1985.

Senior officer
In 1987 he took command of the BATRAL Dumont d'Urville for one year, taking part in the operations surrounding the Ouvéa cave hostage taking.

Guillaud went on to study at the École supérieure de guerre navale and at the cours supérieur interarmées, rising to capitaine de frégate in 1989. He specialised in nuclear engineering, obtaining a degree in 1990.

In 1991, with the start of the Gulf War, Guillaud was sent on the Clemenceau, where he served as a maneuver officer.

In 1992, he took command of the light 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 next year, he took the position of second officer on the Charles De Gaulle, then being completed in Brest.

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

Admiral
From 2002 to 2004, he served as the naval aid to the chief of the personal staff of the President of the Republic.

Between 2004 and 2006, Guillaud was préfet maritime for the English Channel and the North Sea. He was promoted to vice-amiral on 1 April 2006. 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, replacing General Georgelin; Guillaud took the office on 4 October, and was confirmed in this role in May 2007 after the election of Nicolas Sarkozy. In December 2007 he was promoted to admiral.

Guillaud has taken office as Chief of the Defence Staff on 25 February 2010.

Since 19 March 2011, he has commanded the French forces enforcing the Libyan no-fly zone.

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

Honours

 * Legion of honour
 * Order of Merit