[Portrait] A fighter pilot at the French military representation
(BRUSSELS2) After Jean-Louis Falconi, who came straight from Bernard Kouchner's office as COPS ambassador a year ago, it is another direct arrival from a ministerial office which marks the French representation in Brussels. Vice-Admiral Xavier Païtard, head of Hervé Morin's military cabinet, takes charge of the French military representation to the EU (and NATO) on September 1, replacing General De Rousiers (air force), appointed inspector general of the armies. A sailor replaces an aviator. Finally a sailor who also likes the fresh air.
In the air, a fighter pilot appreciated by the Americans
Born in 1954, graduated from the naval school (class of 1974), Païtard was, in fact, a fighter pilot in naval aeronautics, first on Super Etendard aboard aircraft carriers Clemenceau or Foch (1980-1983). In service, he flew aboard American A-7 Corsair combat aircraft (as part of an exchange program) and was engaged in combat missions during the intervention on the island of Grenada and during the Lebanon War (1983-84). He then continued to fly on Super-Etendard, serving on the headquarters of the naval air group in the Arabian Sea before taking command of the 11F flotilla (1988-1990).
Commitments in Bosnia and the Comoros
Appointed frigate captain, he joined the higher naval warfare school and the atomic school of Cherbourg, from which he graduated with an atomic engineer's certificate. Head of the operations group on the aircraft carrier Clemenceau (1992-1994), he took part in air operations in the Adriatic and over Bosnia (war in former Yugoslavia). He then took command of the (famous) frigate Floreal (1994-1996), the least of which was the intervention in 1995 in the Grandes Comores after the coup d'état by French mercenary Bob Denard. He then directed, at the naval headquarters, the destiny of the Charles de Gaulle, the emblematic aircraft carrier of the Royale, launched into the water (not without difficulties) in 1999.
Back and forth between national and multinational
A calmer horizon, then, Xavier Païtard directs the planning and development of study programs at the NATO defense college before taking responsibility for the “external relations” cell at Michèle Alliot-Marie (MAM) when she was Minister of Defense (2001-2003). He then moved to Norfolk as head of the French military mission then as head of the “future capabilities, research and technology division of NATO's Allied Command for Transformation” (2004-2005), before returning to MAM in 2005. , like his military chief of staff. Position in which he will continue after the change of minister with Hervé Morin.
At the head of the French military representation in Brussels, the vice-admiral of the squadron will participate in meetings of the military committees of both the EU and NATO (France having abandoned the fact of have two military representatives in Brussels). His particular task will be to put into music the reintegration of the French into the various NATO committees (already started) but also to strengthen the Europe of Defense – an advanced counterpart to the reintegration of France into NATO and a promise which has not really been held (at least not yet).
(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)
