Head of the French Air and Space Force
The
Chief of the Air and Space Force Staff
(
French
:
Chef d'etat-major de l'armee de l'air et de l'espace
,
[a]
CEMAAE
)
[2]
is the military head of the
French Air and Space Force
.
[3]
The chief directs the air and space force staff and acts as the principal advisor to the
Chief of the Defence Staff
on subjects concerning the Air and Space Force.
[4]
As such, they ensure the operational preparedness of their service branch, express their need for military and civilian personnel, and are responsible for maintaining the discipline, morale and conduct of their troops.
[5]
Special responsibilities can be assigned to them in relation to nuclear safety.
[6]
The chief does not have a fixed term, nor an attached rank. In practice, however, a term has never exceeded five years and all chiefs since the late 1940s have been five?stars generals (OF?09). They are assisted in their duties by the Major General of the Air and Space Force who will deputise if needed.
[7]
The current chief, General Stephane Mille, has been serving since 10th September 2021.
History
[
edit
]
Interwar
[
edit
]
The office was officially created in December 1928 in the 1929 Law of Finances.
[8]
It proposed the creation of a high command for the Military Aeronautics, still under the authority of the
Army
, which would succeed the function of the Direction of Military Aeronautics. The
French Air Force
became independent in 1934, and the Chief obtained full authority.
World War II
[
edit
]
After the armistice, Germany imposed severe restrictions on the size of the French Air Force. As a result, the scope of authority of the Chief was limited, and the office was ultimately eliminated alongside the Air Force.
Postwar
[
edit
]
Free France and the subsequent governments of the re-established French Republic recreated the office at the end of the war.
Office holders
[
edit
]
Third Republic
[
edit
]
French State
[
edit
]
Provisional Government
[
edit
]
Fourth Republic
[
edit
]
Fifth Republic
[
edit
]
No.
|
Portrait
|
Rank & Name
|
Term
|
Minister of the Armed Forces
|
Commander-in-Chief
|
Ref.
|
Took office
|
Left office
|
Duration
|
22
|
|
Air army general
Edmond Jouhaud
|
2 October 1958
|
15 March 1960
|
1 year, 165 days
|
Charles de Gaulle
Pierre Guillaumat
|
Rene Coty
Charles de Gaulle
|
[33]
[34]
|
23
|
|
Air army general
Paul Stehlin
|
15 March 1960
|
1 October 1963
|
3 years, 200 days
|
Pierre Guillaumat
Pierre Messmer
|
Charles de Gaulle
|
[35]
[36]
|
24
|
|
Air army general
Andre Martin
|
1 October 1963
|
27 February 1967
|
3 years, 149 days
|
Pierre Messmer
|
Charles de Gaulle
|
-
-
|
25
|
|
Air army general
Philippe Maurin
|
27 February 1967
|
13 December 1969
|
2 years, 289 days
|
Pierre Messmer
Michel Debre
|
Charles de Gaulle
Georges Pompidou
|
[37]
-
|
26
|
|
Air army general
Gabriel Gauthier
|
13 December 1969
|
12 December 1972
|
2 years, 365 days
|
Michel Debre
|
Georges Pompidou
|
-
-
|
27
|
|
Air army general
Claude Grigaut
|
12 December 1972
|
24 June 1976
|
3 years, 195 days
|
Michel Debre
Robert Galley
Jacques Soufflet
Yvon Bourges
|
Georges Pompidou
Valery Giscard d'Estaing
|
[38]
-
|
28
|
|
Air army general
Maurice Saint-Cricq
|
24 June 1976
|
16 July 1979
|
3 years, 22 days
|
Yvon Bourges
|
Valery Giscard d'Estaing
|
[39]
-
|
29
|
|
Air army general
Guy Fleury
|
16 July 1979
|
11 June 1982
|
2 years, 330 days
|
Yvon Bourges
Joel Le Theule
Robert Galley
Charles Hernu
|
Valery Giscard d'Estaing
Francois Mitterrand
|
[40]
-
|
30
|
|
Air army general
Bernard Capillon
|
11 June 1982
|
16 October 1986
|
4 years, 127 days
|
Charles Hernu
Paul Quiles
Andre Giraud
|
Francois Mitterrand
|
[41]
-
|
31
|
|
Air army general
Achille Lerche
|
16 October 1986
|
25 April 1989
|
2 years, 191 days
|
Andre Giraud
Jean-Pierre Chevenement
|
Francois Mitterrand
|
[42]
-
|
32
|
|
Air army general
Jean Fleury
|
25 April 1989
|
2 December 1991
|
2 years, 220 days
|
Jean-Pierre Chevenement
Pierre Joxe
|
Francois Mitterrand
|
[43]
-
|
33
|
|
Air army general
Vincent Lanata
|
2 December 1991
|
1 July 1994
|
2 years, 211 days
|
Pierre Joxe
Francois Leotard
|
Francois Mitterrand
|
[44]
-
|
34
|
|
Air army general
Jean-Philippe Douin
|
1 July 1994
|
1 September 1995
|
1 year, 62 days
|
Francois Leotard
Charles Millon
|
Francois Mitterrand
Jacques Chirac
|
[45]
-
|
35
|
|
Air army general
Jean Rannou
|
1 September 1995
|
2 July 2000
|
4 years, 305 days
|
Charles Millon
Alain Richard
|
Jacques Chirac
|
[46]
-
|
36
|
|
Air army general
Jean-Pierre Job
|
2 July 2000
|
1 September 2002
|
2 years, 61 days
|
Alain Richard
Michele Alliot-Marie
|
Jacques Chirac
|
[47]
-
|
37
|
|
Air army general
Richard Wolsztynski
|
1 September 2002
|
16 July 2006
|
3 years, 318 days
|
Michele Alliot-Marie
|
Jacques Chirac
|
[48]
-
|
38
|
|
Air army general
Stephane Abrial
|
16 July 2006
|
25 August 2009
|
3 years, 40 days
|
Michele Alliot-Marie
Herve Morin
|
Jacques Chirac
Nicolas Sarkozy
|
[49]
-
|
39
|
|
Air army general
Jean-Paul Palomeros
|
25 August 2009
|
17 September 2012
|
3 years, 23 days
|
Herve Morin
Alain Juppe
Gerard Longuet
Jean-Yves Le Drian
|
Nicolas Sarkozy
Francois Hollande
|
[50]
[51]
|
40
|
|
Air army general
Denis Mercier
|
17 September 2012
|
21 September 2015
|
3 years, 4 days
|
Jean-Yves Le Drian
|
Francois Hollande
|
[52]
[53]
|
41
|
|
Air army general
Andre Lanata
|
21 September 2015
|
31 August 2018
|
2 years, 344 days
|
Jean-Yves Le Drian
Sylvie Goulard
Florence Parly
|
Francois Hollande
Emmanuel Macron
|
[54]
[55]
|
42
|
|
Air army general
Philippe Lavigne
|
31 August 2018
|
9 September 2021
|
3 years, 9 days
|
Florence Parly
|
Emmanuel Macron
|
[56]
[57]
|
43
|
|
Air army general
Stephane Mille
|
10 September 2021
|
Incumbent
|
2 years, 253 days
|
Florence Parly
Sebastien Lecornu
|
Emmanuel Macron
|
[58]
|
Free France
[
edit
]
From its creation in 1940 to the final integration of its air force to the regular French Air Force, Free France had its own staff, based in London. The Free French Aerial Forces were headed by a Commander, responsible to the Commander-in-Chief of the Free French Forces, and was assisted by a Chief of the General Staff.
Commanders of the Free French Aerial Forces
[
edit
]
Chiefs of the General Staff
[
edit
]
List of Chiefs of the General Staff
|
No.
|
Portrait
|
Rank & Name
|
Term
|
Commissioner
|
Leader
|
Ref.
|
Took office
|
Left office
|
Duration
|
1
|
|
Capitaine
Eugene-Marcel Chevrier
|
1 July 1940
|
25 December 1940
|
177 days
|
Vacant
|
Charles de Gaulle
|
-
-
|
2
|
|
Lieutenant-colonel
Charles Pijeaud
|
13 January 1941
|
31 March 1941
|
77 days
|
Vacant
|
-
-
|
3
|
|
General de brigade aerienne
Martial Henri Valin
|
31 March 1941
|
10 July 1941
|
101 days
|
Vacant
|
-
-
|
4
|
|
Lieutenant-colonel
Charles Pijeaud
|
10 July 1941
|
1 December 1941
|
144 days
|
Vacant
Martial Henri Valin
|
-
-
|
5
|
|
Colonel
Charles Luguet
|
1 December 1941
|
13 April 1942
|
133 days
|
Martial Henri Valin
|
-
-
|
6
|
|
Colonel
Pierre Coustey
|
13 April 1942
|
13 April 1943
|
1 year, 0 days
|
Martial Henri Valin
|
-
-
|
7
|
|
Colonel
Georges Andrieu
|
13 April 1943
|
3 November 1944
|
1 year, 204 days
|
Martial Henri Valin
Andre Le Troquer
Fernand Grenier
|
-
-
|
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
lit.
'
Chief of Staff of the Air and Space Army
'
- ^
Division general at the time of his appointment, became Air division general with the independence of the Air Force from the Army.
|
---|
|
Leadership
| |
---|
Ranks
| |
---|
Formations & Commands
| |
---|
Joint forces
| |
---|
Nuclear forces
| |
---|
Equipment
| |
---|
Military bases
| |
---|
|
Chiefs of the air force by country
|
---|
Africa
| |
---|
Americas
| |
---|
Asia
| | Former
|
- Democratic Kampuchea
- Imperial Japan
- Mengjiang
- Manchukuo
- South Vietnam
|
---|
|
---|
Europe
| |
---|
Oceania
| |
---|