Philippe Lavigne

Philippe Lavigne
Official portrait, 2021
Born (1965-09-25) 25 September 1965 (age 59)
Bergerac, France
Allegiance France
Service / branch French Air and Space Force
Years of service1985–present
RankAerial General
UnitAir and Space
Commands
  • Allied Command Transformation,
  • Air Force Chief of Staff,
  • Fighter Squadron Vendée
Awards
  • Cross for Military Valour,
  • Overseas Medal
Alma mater
  • Prytanée National Militaire (1979–1985),
  • School of the Air (1985–1989),
  • Collège interarmées de Défense (1999–2000),
  • Institut des Hautes Études de Défense Nationale (2008–2009),
  • Centre des Hautes Études Militaires (2008–2009)

Philippe Lavigne is a French general. He was the Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Force from 2018 to 2021 and the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation HQ from 23 September 2021 to 23 September 2024.[1][2]

He graduated from Prytanée National Militaire in 1985 and joined the School of Air (Salon-de-Provence Air School) in which he qualified as a pilot in 1989. He flew the Mirage 2000 during operations in the former Yugoslavia and in Iraq, where he flew more than 2000 flight hours. He flew more than 50 combat missions. He was later in command of Fighter Squadron Vendée. He attended the Collège interarmées de Défense (Joint Defence College) to until 2000 before commanding the Vendée. He was in charge of Operation Carbet in Haiti in 2004. He participated in the South Asia Operation Béryx in 2005. He was moved to Paris to serve the Paris-based Joint Strategic Planning and Command Operations Centre which he involved in several peacekeeping and humanitarian operations to until 2005 when he rose to be the planning officer of Air Force Staff, in the office which he relate with issues related to space and European cooperation. He went on to Institut des Hautes Études de Défense Nationale (Institute of Advanced Studies, National Defence) for Centre for Higher Military Studies Defence policy course to until 2009 and of the Centre des Hautes Études Militaires too, he became the deputy director incharge of war material exports in the General Secretariat for Defence and National Security after completing the policy course to 2012.[3]

He served as the director of information in Armed Forces HQ in 2014 before he rose to be incharge of the French Chief of Defence's front office to until 2018, he was moved to Paris to occupied the Afghanistan Kabul International Airport through which French forces engaged in Operation Pamir of the both he supervised the formation of operations from the airport to civil authorities under the military responsibilities.[4]

  1. ^ "Le Général Philippe LAVIGNE Chef d'Etat Major de l 'Armée de l 'Air | ANORAA". AssoConnect (in French). Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  2. ^ "New NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation". SatNews. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  3. ^ NATO. "NATO announces nomination of General Philippe Lavigne, French Air and Space Force, as Supreme Allied Commander Transformation". NATO. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Biography". www.defense.gouv.fr. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.