Pierre-François Forissier

Military career

Pierre-François entered the École Navale (1971–1974). Upon completing his chartered course, he graduated as an enseigne de vaisseau de première classe and rallied to the French Submarine Forces FSM in 1975. He served on all types of operational submarines, notably commanding the nuclear attack submarine SNA Rubis and the ballistic missile submarine SNLE Tonnant.

In 1974, he served on the 20th minesweepers surface division and the minesweeper Glycine as second officer in command, then in 1990 as a manoeuvring-officer of the carrier Foch.

In 1993, he was designated as second in command of the Brest Naval Training Centre.

He served also at the general staff headquarters of the French Navy (French: état-major de la marine) in the « Material » division, the a couple years later in the « Plans » division and was promoted to Contre-Amiral (Counter-Admiral) in 2001.

He then occupied the functions of territorial assistant (French: adjoint) to the commandant of the coded maritime region « Atlantic ».

Vice-Amiral (Vice-Admiral), he commanded the Submarines Forces FSM and Force Océanique Stratégique FOST before being designated as a Vice-Amiral d'Escadre (Squadron Vice-Admiral) deputy in 2005 at the post of Major Général de La Marine (French: major général de la marine).

On November 4, 2008, he was elevated to the rank of Amiral (Admiral) and designated as Chief of Staff of the French Navy (French: Chef d'état-major de la Marine). He left that command function on September 12, 2011 and was replaced by Amiral Bernard Rogel.^[2]