Philippe Rebord (born 22 April 1957) is a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

. He served as the Chief of the Armed Forces beginning on 1 January 2017, succeeding

André Blattmann André Blattmann (born 6 March 1956) was the Swiss Lieutenant General and Chief of the Armed Forces from 1 March 2009 (ad interim since 20 August 2008) until 31 December 2016. He led the Swiss army after the leave of Roland Nef ad interim on 25 ...

. Rebord retired at the end of 2019 and was succeeded by

Thomas Süssli Thomas Süssli (born 24 September 1966) is a Swiss Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where ...

Early life and education

Rebord was born on 22 April 1957 in Bovernier, canton Valais. He earned a Lic. Phil.-hist. at the

University of Lausanne The University of Lausanne (UNIL; french: links=no, Université de Lausanne) in Lausanne, Switzerland was founded in 1537 as a school of Protestant theology, before being made a university in 1890. The university is the second oldest in Switzer ...

Career

Rebord began his career in the

Swiss Armed Forces The Swiss Armed Forces (german: Schweizer Armee, french: Armée suisse, it, Esercito svizzero, rm, Armada svizra; ) operates on land and in the air, serving as the primary armed forces of Switzerland. Under the country's militia system, re ...

in 1985. He served in numerous positions, rising through the ranks of the Armed Forces. On 16 September 2016, after Chief of the Armed Forces

announced his coming retirement, the Swiss government appointed Rebord to replace him. Blattmann's formal retirement ceremony was held on 8 December 2016 and Rebord officially succeeded him on 1 January 2017. That same day, Rebord was promoted to the rank of

Korpskommandant The Military ranks of Switzerland are the military insignia used by the Swiss Armed Forces. The ranks have changed little over the centuries, except for the introduction, in 2004, of a new set of warrant officers. The ranks are worn on shoulder ...

. Soon after his appointment as Armed Forces Chief, Rebord made purchasing new fighter jets for the Swiss Air Force and ensuring that the Armed Forces continued having enough soldiers the priorities of the Armed Forces. He also called for an increased military budget, arguing the current levels were insufficient. In early April 2019, Rebord announced that he will resign at the end of the year due to a serious thrombosis and a needed hip operation. In early September 2019, Thomas Süssli was announced as his successor. Rebord's formal retirement ceremony was held on 5 December 2019, and his retirement officially took effect at the end of the year.

References

External links

Official profile page
1957 births Living people People from Martigny District Swiss military officers University of Lausanne alumni {{Switzerland-mil-bio-stub