Stéphane Abrial
Stéphane Abrial (born September 7, 1954 in Condom-en-Armagnac , Département Gers ) is a Général d'armée aérienne of the French Air Force and was the fourth Supreme Allied Commander Transformation of NATO from September 2009 to September 2012 . He said goodbye on October 12, 2012. His successor is Jean-Paul Paloméros .
Military career
Abrial initially graduated from the French Air Force Academy in 1973 and attended the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs , Colorado the following year . Between 1977 and 1991 he served as a fighter pilot . He served from 1981 to 1984 in an association of the German Air Force and in 1988 with the Greek Air Force .
In 1990 and 1991 he took part in the desert shield / storm operations as commander of the 5th French Combat Squadron in the liberation of Kuwait . Back in France, he held a staff position in the Air Force. In 1991 he graduated from the US Air War College in Montgomery , Alabama . He also graduated from the French Institute for Advanced Studies in National Defense (IHEDN) in Paris .
From 1996 to 1999 he served on the International Military Staff at NATO headquarters in Brussels . Between 2006 and 2009 he was Chief of Staff of the French Air Force.
With his appointment as Supreme Allied Commander Transformation in September 2009, for the first time in NATO history a non-American held a key position within the United States and the NATO command structure .
Abrial is married to a German woman and has two children.
Awards (selection)
- Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor
- Officer of the Ordre national du Mérite
- Commander of the Legion of Merit
- Great Cross of Merit of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Médaille de l'Aéronautique
- Decoration of honor of the Bundeswehr in silver
- German sportbadge
- Commander of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
- Order of Merit at Sea
Web links
- Portrait of Stephane Abrial, French NATO general: “My vocation is highly symbolic”. In: Der Tagesspiegel . September 10, 2009, accessed August 31, 2013 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Roland Etzel: Stéphane Abrial / The French is the first European to hold a high NATO post in the USA. WG Peace Research, accessed on November 20, 2012 .
- ^ Adieu aux armes du général Abrial. French Ministry of Defense, October 16, 2012, accessed November 20, 2012 (French).
- ↑ Press briefing by General Stéphane Abrial, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT). NATO, September 12, 2012, accessed November 20, 2012 (English, French).
- ↑ Le Général d'Armée aérienne Stéphane Abrial promu Commandant Suprème de l'OTAN. In: www.aviation-francaise.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2012 ; Retrieved November 20, 2012 (French).
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| James N. Mattis |
Supreme Allied Commander Transformation since 2009 |
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Abrial, Stéphane |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French general |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 7th September 1954 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Condom-en-Armagnac , Département Gers |