Chief of the General Staff (France)
The Chief of the General Staff ( French full name: Chef d'État-Major des Armées ) is the highest-ranking soldier in the French armed forces . All commands and units are subordinate to the Chef d'état-major de l'Armée (CEMA) and his staff in Paris. He is the military advisor to the Defense Minister as well as the government . His area of responsibility includes;
- the overall conception of military defense including planning and further development
- the command of the armed forces.
Subordinate to him
- the Chief of the General Staff of the Army (Chef d'état-major de l'armée de terre - CEMAT),
- the Chief of the General Staff of the Air Force (Chef d'état-major de l'armée de l'air - CEMAA),
- the Chief of the General Staff of the Navy (Chef d'état major de la marine - CEMM).
- the General Staff of the Armed Forces (état-major des armées - EMA),
- the commander in chief of the armed forces in the French overseas territories
- the commander in chief of the armed forces abroad (COMSUP and COMFOR)
- the General Staff of Defense Zones (OGZD)
- the defense advisers of the prefects
Position and Powers
The headquarters of the General Staff is the Boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris . The Chief of Staff is appointed by the President on the proposal of the Defense Minister, but his term of office does not depend on that of the Defense Minister.