Édouard Guillaud

Édouard François Jean-Louis Guillaud (; born 10 July 1953) is a French retired admiral who served as Chief of the Defence Staff from 2010 to 2014. He devoted a significant part of his career to the design of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, the flagship of the French Navy, and eventually captained it as its first commanding officer at sea. Prior to his appointment at the general staff headquarters of the Armed Forces, Guillaud served as Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic from 2006 to 2010.

Biography Early life Born in 1953 in Paris, Guillaud is the son of journalist Jean-Louis Guillaud , a former president of the Agence France-Presse and TF1. As an enseigne de vaisseau (vessel ensign), he first served on the patroller La Paimpolaise from 1976 to 1978, monitoring the nuclear trials in Mururoa, French Polynesia. Afterwards, he served consecutively for one year on two French nuclear ballistic missile submarines SNLE L'Indomptable and Le Redoutable, following which he took command in 1979 of the minesweeper Lobelia, for another year until 1980. The next year, he studied for a specialisation in gunnery and missiles.

In the early 1980s, Guillaud was sent in exchange in the United States. As a Lieutenant de Vaisseau (Lieutenant) from 1981 to 1984, he then served as service chief on the aviso Amyot d'Inville and the squadron escorteurs launch missile Du Chayla, then as a service operations chief on the squadron escorteur launch missile Kersaint, cruising off the seas between Iran and Lebanon in 1983. He was promoted to Capitaine de corvette in 1985.

During the Libyan Civil War, he commanded the French forces enforcing the Libyan no-fly zone.

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

He left active duty service on 14 February 2014 when général Pierre de Villiers succeeded him at head of the armies. He assumed a French armament directorate until 2017.

Decorations and medals

Honorary Corporal of the French Foreign Legion.