Rear-Admiral Coindreau takes the lead of the EUNAVFOR mission

(BRUSSELS2) As announced (1), Rear-Admiral Philippe Coindreau took command, on 15 August, of the European Union's anti-piracy forces (EUNAVFOR Atalanta), aboard the Grasse frigate which has just to leave Toulon with the European General Staff. He will be responsible (formidable) to ensure the coordination of all committed means (air and sea) deployed in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, and the three support bases (Seychelles, Kenya and Djibouti). But it's not really to scare this naval aviation pilot who has seen the terrain several times (Chad, Ex-Yugoslavia, Gulf of Oman).

A "Pat-mar" of shock

Born in Toulon in June 1959, graduated from the naval school at the age of 20, after classes on the Joan of Arc and the Colbert, he chose... aviation, or rather the naval aeronautics school in Salon of Provence. He then took off with the 21F flotilla, based in Nîmes-Garons, on Bréguet-Atlantic. He participates in particular in the operation Catfish from Gabon which aims to ensure the withdrawal of French troops in Chad in 1984 (following a Franco-Libyan agreement which will not be respected by the latter afterwards) (2).

In 1986, he moved to the 22F flotilla as an aircraft commander. Deployed to Djibouti in August 1987, he took part in the start of the operation Prometheus, responsible for ensuring the safety of maritime traffic in the Gulf of Oman and the Gulf of Arabia during the Iran-Iraq war (after the attack on a French container ship by Iranian Pasdaran patrol boats). Then, it will be the Chadian field again, within the operation Epervier (late 1988).

In 1989, a period devoted more to training began: instructor on board the Jeanne D'Arc (from September 1989), operational implementation of the Atlantique 2 at the 23F flotilla (from September 1990), control of the level of training of maritime patrol crews at the maritime patrol training cell in Nîmes -Boys (from September 1993).

The 23 F, the Foch, the Surcouf...

After a stint at the joint defense college and the Yugoslavia crisis unit of the joint operational center of the General Staff, he resumed an operational command at the head of the 23F flotilla, based in Lann-Bihoué (1996 - 1998). Assigned to the tactical staff of the Admiral commanding the Naval Action Force (in September 1998), he participated in 1999 in Operation Trident in the Adriatic aboard the aircraft carrier Foch during the Kosovo conflict (first use of laser-guided weapons for the Navy).

In April 2001, he took command of the Surcouf, stealth frigate. With two missions to his credit: the mission Corymb in the Gulf of Guinea (June - July 2001) - permanent mission of presence in support of the possible evacuations of nationals - and the operation Heracles off the Iranian and Pakistani coasts (February to May 2002) as part of support for the intervention in Afghanistan after the terrorist attacks of 2001 (French planes carried out several reconnaissance, intelligence and bombing missions over Afghanistan ).

In September 2002, he returned to land, first to the staff of the Mediterranean maritime zone in Toulon - where he headed the Naval Air Force Conduct Division - then, from July 2003, as Commander of the Naval Air Base in Lann-Bihoue. Then, direction the capital, for a session of the IHEDN (the 58th Sept 2005-2006) and several positions (project manager and chief of staff) secretary general for the administration of the ministry of defense (July 2006 to September 2009 ). It's time for the White Paper, then restructuring.

Promoted to the rank of rear-admiral in September 2009, he is deputy commander of the rapid reaction aero-maritime force in Toulon.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

(1) The French command of EUNAVFOR will be ...

(2) Read the story by Roland Dumas, Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time.