Bernard Janvier (born 16 July 1939) is a former

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED On ...

of the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

who served in the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...

, primarily spearheading and putting in place effective resolving forces. He first took part in the

Algerian War The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...

. He then spearheaded at the head of the

2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment The 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (french: 2e Régiment étranger de parachutistes, 2e REP) is the only airborne regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. It is one of the four infantry regiments of the 11th Parachute Brigade and part o ...

2^e REP in a peacekeeping mission in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. He was later designated as the commander of Division Daguet during the

First Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

. Four years later, he was assigned to

UNPROFOR The United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR; also known by its French acronym FORPRONU: ''Force de Protection des Nations Unies'') was the first United Nations peacekeeping force in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav War ...

in charge of peacekeeping during the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

Biography

His father Pierre, was an officer in the gendarmerie. Bernard conducted his studies at the Orange College, at schools in Nice and Algeria and the University of Rennes.

Military career

Admitted to the

École militaire interarmes The ''Combined Arms School'' or ''Joint military school'', known as École Militaire Interarmes or EMIA, is a military school of the French Army intended to train officers who have risen from the ranks. It was founded in 1942 and based in a rural ...

at Coetquidan, on 1 October 1958, in quality of a Saint-Cyrien, «

Général is the French word for general. There are two main categories of generals: the general officers (), which are the highest-ranking commanding officers in the armed forces, and the specialist officers with flag rank (), which are high-level offic ...

Bugeaud », he conducted his course application at the infantry school in Nîmes, on 15 September 1960. On 1 December 1960 he joined the center of perfection of the infantry cadres 2 at Philippeville in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

, then was assigned on 1 January 1961 to the 1st battalion of the 1st Tirailleurs Regiment in quality as a commando chief. Assigned to the

1st Foreign Regiment The 1st Foreign Regiment (french: 1er Régiment étranger, 1er RE) and the 2nd Foreign infantry Regiment are the original and most senior founding regiments of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. The regiment is also responsible for running sp ...

1^e RE during July 1962, he was assigned on 1 August 1962 to the

2^e REP, regiment with which he conducted a tour in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

from August 1962 to September 1964. From 1964 to 1967, he served in

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

and at the Comoros at the corps of the

3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment The 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (french: 3e Régiment étranger d'infanterie, 3e REI) is an infantry regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. The regiment is stationed in French Guiana. Its mission includes the protection of the C ...

3^e REI, successively as assistant officer in a combat unit then a corps general staff headquarters officer (french: officier d'état-major au corps). He was promoted to the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 1 January 1967. Repatriated, he followed the Captain's course at the infantry application school, then the 33rd promotion of the generals staff headquarters school in quality as a candidate, as of 1 December 1968. He commanded from 1968 to 1970, a company of the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment 9^e RCP, then from 1970 to 1972, as a company officer at the

École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr The École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr (ESM, literally the "Special Military School of Saint-Cyr") is a French military academy, and is often referred to as Saint-Cyr (). It is located in Coëtquidan in Guer, Morbihan, Brittany. Its motto i ...

at Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan. Following, he occupied at the corps of the school, the functions of assistant chief of general information and general military formation during two years. Candidate at the 88th promotion of superior war school, from September 1974 to May 1976, he served later, from June 1976 to August 1978, as an officer treating the bureau of personnel effectifs of the general staff headquarters of the

. He was promoted to

Chef de bataillon Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

( Commandant -

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

) on 1 October 1974. Successively, assigned as bureau chief of instruction and operations, then second commanding officer at the

2^e REP, from August 1978 to September 1981, he participated to « Operation Tacaud » (french: Opération Tacaud) in

Tchad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic t ...

in quality as the inter-arm group commandant « Phœnix », from November 1979 to April 1980. He received his

Lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel ...

rank ("galons") on 1 October 1978. In 1981, he was assigned as general staff headquarters officer of the general inspection of the French Army (french: officier d'état-major à l'inspection générale de l'armée de terre). Designated as regimental commander of the

2^e REP at Calvi, in 1982, he spearheaded the regiment in «

Operation Épaulard I Operation Épaulard 1 (Operation Orca 1) was a military operation undertaken on the behalf of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment to land soldiers in Beirut, Lebanon on 21 August 1982, during the Lebanese Civil War. They were part of the Multinatio ...

», within the cadre force of the

Multinational Force in Lebanon The Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF) was an international peacekeeping force created in August 1982 following a 1981 United States, U.S.-brokered ceasefire between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel to end their involveme ...

from August to September 1982, in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of ...

, charged in repatriating President Arafat. He was accordingly promoted to the rank of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

on 1 October 1982. He then participated to « Operation Manta » (french: Opération Manta) in

, as commandant in the inter-arm group from January to May 1984. From 1984 to 1987, he exercised the functions of section chief of personnel, in the bureau of personnel-effectif at the general staff headquarters of the French Army. On 1 August 1987 he was the assistant general commanding officer of the 6th Light Armoured Division 6^e DLB, at Nîmes, and on 1 March 1988 he was admitted to the 1st section of officer generals. On 1 July 1989 he was the chief of the division of the organization and logistics at the general staff headquarters of the Armies (french: l'état-major des armées). In May 1990, he commanded « Operation Requin » (french: Requin) at Port-Gentil in

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...

. From 7 February to 30 April 1991 he commanded Division Daguet in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...

, then

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

. At this title, he had under his commandment 4300

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

soldiers. He was promoted the

Général de division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...

on 1 April 1991. Roquejoffre Janvier 324-32

On 1 May 1991 he was designated in charge of missions near the chief of the general staff headquarters of the Armies (french: général chef d'état-major des armées) before assuming command of the 6th Light Armoured Division 6^e DLB, at Nîmes, from 1 June 1991 until 5 September 1993. He was designated as chief of the general staff headquarters of the inter-arm operational planning (french: Chef de l'état-major interarmées de planification opérationnelle), on 6 December 1993. He was accordingly elevated to the rank designation of

Général de corps d'armée An army corps general or corps general is a rank held by a General officer who commands an army corps. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. Normally, the rank is above the divisional ge ...

on 1 July 1994. On 1 February 1995 he was placed at the disposition of the

Chief of Staff of the French Army The Chief of the Army Staff (french: Chef d'état-major de l'armée de terre, CEMAT) is the military head of the French Army. The chief directs the army staff and acts as the principal advisor to the Chief of the Defence Staff on subjects concern ...

(french: Chef d'état-major de l'armée de terre) and received on 1 March 1995 the chief commandment of the peacekeeping force of the united Nations for ex-

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

and simultaneously, assured the in second commandment functions of the force placed for the peace plan in Bosnia (

Implementation Force The Implementation Force (IFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peace enforcement force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename ''Operation Joint Endeavour''. Background NATO ...

IFOR The Implementation Force (IFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peace enforcement force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename ''Operation Joint Endeavour''. Background NATO ...

). Towards the end of the mission, he was placed at the disposition of

, on 19 February 1996. In July 1996 he was nominated as a member of the superior council of the French Army (french: membre du conseil supérieur de l'armée de terre). On 1 September 1996 he was nominated as director of the Institute of High Studies of National Defense (french: Institut des hautes études de la défense nationale, IHEDN) and of the Center of High Military Studies (french: centre des hautes études militaires, CHEM), of the superior military teachings. He received his 5th Star on 1 July 1998 and joined the 2nd section of officer generals on 1 January 1999.

Role in events surrounding the Srebrenica massacre

On 16 November 1995, the International Association for the Prevention of Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes (AICG) applied to indict General Janvier for: It has been alleged that an agreement was reached in June 1995, during a meeting between General Janvier and

Ratko Mladić Ratko Mladić ( sr-Cyrl, Ратко Младић, ; born 12 March 1942) is a Bosnian Serb convicted war criminal and colonel-general who led the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) during the Yugoslav Wars. In 2017, he was found guilty of committing ...

, that airpower would not to be used if the Serbs freed the dozens of UN soldiers taken hostage a month earlier. In 2001, he was interrogated by the French Investigative Commission (french: Commission d'Enquête Française) on the

Srebrenica massacre The Srebrenica massacre ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Masakr u Srebrenici, Масакр у Сребреници), also known as the Srebrenica genocide ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Genocid u Srebrenici, Геноцид у Сребрен ...

for his role in refusing the use of airpower requested by the Dutch Battalion charged with defending the enclave.

Recognitions and Honors

Grand Officier of the

Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

(1996) *

Commandeur Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

of the Légion d'Honneur (1991) * Legion Honneur Officier ribbon

Officier of the Légion d'Honneur (1986) * Legion Honneur Chevalier ribbon

Chevalier Chevalier may refer to: Honours Belgium * a rank in the Belgian Order of the Crown * a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold * a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold II * a title in the Belgian nobility France * a rank in the French Legion d' ...

of the Légion d'Honneur (1997) * Ordre national du Merite Commandeur ribbon

Commandeur de l'

ordre national du Mérite The Ordre national du Mérite (; en, National Order of Merit) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's esta ...

(1990) *

Ordre national du Merite Officier ribbon

Officier de l'

(1980) *

Croix de Guerre des Theatres d'Operations Exterieurs ribbon

Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures The ''Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieurs'' (War Cross for foreign operational theatres), also called the ''Croix de Guerre TOE'' for short, is a French military award denoting citations earned in combat in foreign countri ...

(1 citation at the orders of the army) * Croix de la Valeur Militaire ribbon

Croix de la Valeur militaire The Cross for Military Valour (french: Croix de la Valeur Militaire) is a military decoration of France. It recognises an individual bestowed a Mention in Dispatches earned for showing valour in presence of an enemy, in theatres of operations wh ...

(5 citations out of which one at the orders of the army) * Ordre du Merite agricole Chevalier 1999 ribbon

Chevalier of the Ordre du Mérite Agricole (1984) * Medaille d'Outre-Mer (Coloniale) ribbon

Medaille d'Outre-Mer (''agrafe'' « Liban » (Lebanon), « Tchad » Tchad, « Moyen-Orient » Middle East) * Médaille commémorative des opérations de sécurité et de maintien de l'ordre en Afrique du Nord (''agrafes'' « Algérie ») * Medaille commemorative Francaise ribbon

Médaille commémorative française On another hand, he is decorated with numerous Foreign decorations out of which: * Us legion of merit officer rib

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

(U.S.) * Medal of King Faisal -

(1991) *

Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) The Kuwait Liberation Medal ( ar, وسام التحرير ''Wisām al-Taḥrīr'', , ) is a medal created in 1994 that was issued by the government of Kuwait to both local and foreign military personnel who served in the Persian Gulf War's "Liber ...

* Médaille de l'OTAN (Medal of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two Nor ...

) * Médaille de l'ONU (Medal of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

) * Chevalier de l'Etoile de la Grande Comores (Knight Star of the Grande Comores - 1966) * CAN Meritorious Service Cross (military division) ribbon

Croix du service méritoire canadien (Canadian

Meritorious Service Cross The Meritorious Service Cross (french: Croix du service méritoire) is a decoration that is, within the Canadian system of honours, one of the two Meritorious Service Decorations gifted by the Canadian monarch, his or her Governor-in-Council. C ...

) * Croix du Trèfle Croate (Croatian Trèfle Cross) He was wounded on 14 December 1961 at Aïn Ogra (Algeria) by a mine blast.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Janvier, Bernard Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni 1939 births Living people French generals United Nations personnel in the Bosnian War NATO personnel in the Bosnian War

Biography

Military career

Role in events surrounding the Srebrenica massacre

Recognitions and Honors

See also

References