Pierre de Villiers

His brother, politician Philippe de Villiers, was twice a presidential candidate.

Pierre de Villiers studied at École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr, Prytanée National Militaire and Cavalry Training School Saumur. The recorded working language is French. Positions recorded include Major General of the Armed Forces and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. Distinctions recorded are Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour, Officer of the National Order of Merit, Cross for Military Valour and Combatant's Cross.

• Name — Pierre de Villiers • Office — Chief of the Defence Staff • Term Start — 15 February 2014 • Term End — 19 July 2017 • Predecessor — Édouard Guillaud • Successor — François Lecointre • Office1 — Major General of the Defence Staff • Term Start1 — 11 March 2010 • Term End1 — 15 February 2014 • Predecessor1 — Pierrick Blairon • Successor1 — Gratien Maire • Office2 — Head of the Prime Minister's military cabinet • Prime Minister2 — François Fillon • Term Start2 — 15 September 2008 • Term End2 — 11 March 2010 • Predecessor2 — Jean-Marc Denuel • Successor2 — Bernard de Courrèges d'Ustou • Birth Name — Pierre François Marie Le Jolis de Villiers de Saintignon • Born — 26 July 1956 • Birthplace — Boulogne, France • Children — 6 • Relations — Philippe de Villiers (brother) • Alma Mater — Prytanée National Militaire École spéciale militaire • Allegiance — France French Republic • Branch — French Army • Armoured Cavalry Arm • Service Years — 1975 – 2017 • Rank — Army general • Unit — * 2nd Dragoon Regiment • 7th Armoured Division • 501st–503rd Combat Tank Regiment • Commands — * 2nd Armoured Brigade • Battles — * Kosovo War • Afghanistan War • Mali Civil War • Operation Barkhane • Third Central African Civil War • Operation Sangaris • Second Iraqi Civil War • Syrian Civil War • Operation Chammal

• Illustration — Family coat of arms Pierre Le Jolis de Villiers de Saintignon is a member of the House of Le Jolis de Villiers (Famille Le Jolis de Villiers) established in the 16th century. His brother is the French politician Philippe de Villiers.

After two years of preparatory corniche (corniche) at Prytanée National Militaire, Pierre de Villiers was admitted to the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr in 1975, promotion Captain Henri Guilleminot (Henri Guilleminot). He entered at the end of his scholarity the Armoured Cavalry Arm and joined the Saumur Cavalry School within his specialty, promotion Lieutenant Charles de Foucauld. He was a section platoon chief of AMX-30 tanks at the 2nd Dragoon Regiment in 1978. Between 1979 and 1987 Pierre de Villiers served in the 4th Dragoon Regiment, which also housed a platoon of AMX-30 tanks. He commanded a divisionary reconnaissance squadron of the 7th Armoured Division. He was then on three different occasions an instructor of sous-officiers and lieutenants at Saumur. From 1989 to 1990, he was a candidate at the Superior War School of the 103rd promotion of the ESG, then from 1990–1991, he was a candidate at the Superior Inter-arm Course (XLII session of the CSI). He was then designated as the regimental commander of the 501st503rd Combat Tank Regiment. In June 1999, he commanded during five months the mechanized infantry battalion of the Leclerc brigade, which entered first in Kosovo with operation KFOR. During twelve years, he was in post in Paris at the general staff headquarters of the French Army, then at the inspection of the French Army and member of the financial affairs direction of the Ministry of Defence.

From September to June 2004, he was an auditor at the Centre of High Military Studies and at the Institute of High National Defence Studies. Deputy to the Head of the Prime Minister's military cabinet on 1 July 2004, he was promoted to général de brigade on 1 September 2005. He was designated commandant of the 2nd Armoured Brigade and arms commandant of the court of Orléans (commandant d'armes de la place d'Orléans) on 1 August 2006, a function which he occupied until 31 August 2008. In parallel, from December 2006 to April 2007, he commanded the Regional Capital Command RCC in Afghanistan which regrouped 2,500 military personnel from 15 nationalities. He was nominated as Head of the Prime Minister's military cabinet on 15 September 2008, a function which he occupied until March 2010, date in which he was replaced by Bernard de Courrèges d'Ustou (Bernard de Courrèges d'Ustou). By decree on 11 March 2010, he was nominated to the functions of Major General of the Armed Forces at the general staff headquarters of the armed forces.

De Villiers was appointed on 15 February 2014 Chief of the Defence Staff succeeding Admiral Édouard Guillaud. Charged with attacks against the Islamic State after the November 2015 Paris attacks, he judged that the necessary military attacks against this entity can only but guarantee peace and security, by recalling the comfort means of the French Armed Forces. He coordinated the exterior operations of Operation Barkhane in Sahel, Operation Sangaris in Central African Republic and Operation Chammal in Syria and in Iraq. He was also equally in charge of the interior natured anti-terrorist operation, Opération Sentinelle. • Illustration — General Pierre de Villiers with President Macron at the Élysée Palace during a meeting with US President Trump, 13 July 2017. • Illustration — Pierre de Villiers with US General Martin E. Dempsey, on 18 September 2014 The French Foreign Legion, on 30 April 2015, commemorated their 152nd anniversary of Camarón in presence of Chief of the Defence Staff Pierre de Villiers. Commemorating also the 70th Liberation Anniversary, General Pierre de Villiers declared that "commemorating Camerone is commemorating the courage, the cult of the mission, the respect of senior veterans, giving the youth a formidable message of hope for the future", while also adding that "honour and fidelity are always values which gather". During the ceremony, Adjudant-Chef François Monarcha, born in Poland 98 years prior, was part of the main parade as he was accompanied by a former Harki and a non-commissioned officer of British origin. Addressing the legionnaires, General de Villiers declared: "Your regimental colours and flags do not have enough folds and space in them to house and contain all your titles of glory".

In December 2016, Pierre de Villiers called for an increase in armed forces' budget from 1.7% to 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) before 2022. This would allow France to meet the NATO defense spending requirements which at the time were only met by the United States, Greece, United Kingdom, Estonia and Poland. In March 2017, Pierre de Villiers again expressed support for increasing the defence budget to 2% of GDP by 2022 - an increase of about three billion euros per year. Emmanuel Macron announced a promise to increase the defence budget to 2% by 2025 and Marine Le Pen announced in Lyon that she wishes to see the defence budget increased to 3% of GDP in order to build a new aircraft carrier, recruit 50,000 new military personnel, and progressively reintroduce compulsory military service, starting with a 3-month commitment.

Following his resignation, speculation arose that he might enter politics: polling in 2020 found that 20% of French voters might have supported him in the 2022 presidential election.

• Ranks attained in the French Army • Élève-officier — Aspirant — Sous-lieutenant — Lieutenant — Capitaine — Chef d'escadrons • — — — — — • 1975 — 1976 — 1 August 1977 — 1 August 1978 — 1 August 1982 — 1 July 1988 • Lieutenant-colonel — Colonel — Général de brigade — Général de division — Général de corps d'armée — Général d'armée • — — — — — • 1 July 1992 — 1 December 1997 — 1 December 2005 — 1 July 2008 — 1 November 2009 — 11 March 2010