Henri Bentégeat

Henri Bentégeat, born May 27, 1946 in Talence, France is a French Army general who since 2006 serves as the chairman of the European Union Military Committee. [ [http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2004_2009/documents/dv/cvbentegeat_/cvbentegeat_en.pdf European Parliament: General Henri Bentégeat - Chairman of the European Union Military Committee (CV)] ]

Bentégeat studied at the military academy "École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr", where he enrolled in 1965 and graduated in 1967. After graduation, he first served with the "Troupes de marine", which is a part of the French Army. From 1990 to 1992, he served as Assistant Defence Attaché in Washington, D.C. He served as Assistant to the Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic from 1993.

Bentégeat was promoted to the rank of Brigade General in 1996 and to Divisional General (equivalent to Major General) in 1998, when he became assistant to the Director for Strategic Affairs of the French Ministry of Defence. In April 1999, he was assignedas Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic, was promoted to "Général de corps d'armée" (equivalent to Lieutenant General) on September 1, 1999 and to "Général d'armée" (full General) on January 4, 2001. He became "Chef d'état-major des armées" (Chief of the Defence Staff) in October 2002.

On November 6, 2006, Bentégeat took up his present position as Chairman of the European Union Military Committee by appointment of the European Council. His term ends on November 1, 2009.

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