Jacques Lanxade (born 8 September 1934) is a French

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

and former

navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

chief, and co-author of a proposed reform 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 No ...

. He was a private

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...

, President of the French Republic, from 1989 to 1991, and became chief of defense of the

French Armed Forces The French Armed Forces (french: Forces armées françaises) encompass the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force and the Gendarmerie of the French Republic. The President of France heads the armed forces as Chief of the Armed Forces. Franc ...

from 1991 to 1995. It was during this period that the

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed Hutu ...

took place in 1994. Lanxade is also a former

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

. As of 2008, he is the chairman of the

Académie de Marine The Royal Naval Academy of France (french: Académie royale de marine) was founded at Brest by a ruling of 31 July 1752 by Antoine Louis de Rouillé, comte de Jouy, Secretary of State for the Navy. This institutionalised an earlier initiative b ...

, and President of the Mediterranean Foundation for Strategic Research.History of the Marine Academy
He is also a member of the international committee of patronage of the French journal ''Politique américaine'', dedicated to the study of internal and international stratagems of the United States.

References

1934 births Living people French Navy admirals Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite Recipients of the Cross for Military Valour Commanders of the Legion of Merit Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Grand Officers of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Grand Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star Grand Officers of the Order of Merit (Portugal) Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Senegal {{navy-stub