General Lecointre, accompanied by the French Deputy Military Representative to NATO Major General Gilles Darricau, was welcomed to the headquarters by Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) General Tod D. Wolters.
General Wolters hosted the French Chief of Defence Staff and other French Military Officers at SHAPE for a working lunch where they discussed France’s continual commitment to NATO’s defence and deterrence initiatives as well as NATO operational activities led by the headquarters.
General Lecointre then took part in a round table discussion with Senior French Officers before addressing the entire French community.
Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Tod D. Wolters, welcomed the French Chief of Defence Staff, General François Lecointre, to the headquarters on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019.
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, France has regularly contributed troops to NATO’s military operations, making it one of the largest troop-contributing states. It is also NATO’s fourth-biggest contributor to the military budget.
General Lecointre has been Chief of the Defence Staff for France since July 2017. He has been awarded the Grand Officer of Legion of Honour and commander of the National Order of Merit. He has been cited several times with the War Cross for Foreign Operational Theatres and the Cross for Military Valour.