Benoît Puga (born 30 January 1953) is a

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.". O ...

in the

French Army History Early history The first permanent army, paid with regular wages, instead of feudal levies, was established under Charles VII of France, Charles VII in the 1420 to 1430s. The Kings of France needed reliable troops during and after the ...

and the Grand Chancellor of the

National Order of the Legion of Honour 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 B ...

and the

National Order of Merit An order of merit is conferred by a state, government or royal family on an individual in recognition of military or civil merit. Order of merit may also refer to: * FIFA Order of Merit, for significant contribution to association football * PDC ...

Military career

Puga joined 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 ...

in September 1973, at the age of 20, following which he joined the Infantry Application School in 1975 with a rank of

sous-lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 19 ...

. In September 1976, Puga joined the 1st Chasseur Group at Reims as an infantry section chief (french: chef de section) before becoming a platoon missile section chief. From August to October, he conducted a tour at the corps of reconnaissance helicopter unit of the 2^e ACR belonging to the VIIth U.S. Army Corps stationed at Nuremberg in Germany. He was promoted to the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

on 1 August 1976. On 1 April 1978, Puga was assigned to 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, where he was, in succession, section chief, assistant officer, and commander of a company in a unit combat capacity. Accordingly, 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 ...

. He participated in several operations and exterior deployment: at Kolwezy in

Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...

in 1978, at

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 nort ...

in 1979, at

Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...

in 1980 and 1981, at

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 o ...

in 1982, at

Bangui Bangui () (or Bangî in Sango, formerly written Bangi in English) is the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. It was established as a French outpost in 1889 and named after its location on the northern bank of the Uban ...

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

in 1983 and

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 Republ ...

in 1984. In August 1984, Puga joined the general staff headquarters of the

. He was appointed as quarter officer at the operational center, a post which he left in August 1986 to become ''chargé'' for a year. He was promoted to the rank of

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 ...

in 1985. A candidate at the Superior War School and the Superior Inter-Arm Course (CSI) from September 1987 to June 1989, Puga received the command of an officer promotion class at Saint-Cyr from 1989 to 1992 where, a

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 colon ...

, he successively commanded the 3rd, 2nd and 1st battalions. In August 1992, Puga rejoined the general staff headquarters at Paris at the corps of the study bureau and participated in the reorganization of the operational command of the armed forces. From February 1994 to June 1996, he was detached, first as a military assistant to the commandant of FORPRONU in ex-Yugoslavia from March 1994 to April 1995, then as military counselor of the co-president of the international conference for ex-Yugoslavia and European negotiator for the peace accords of Dayton, from May to December 1995, a personality which was the High representative of the international community in Bosnia. He was 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 ...

in 1994. On 9 August 1996, Puga received the

regimental colors In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours (or colors), standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt som ...

of the

2^e REP and participated at the head of that regiment to operations in « Malabo » at Brazzaville in 1996, « Almandin II & III » at Bangui in RCA in 1996 and 1997, then Pelican I, II, III at Brazzaville in the Congo in 1997. He assumed particularly the command of operation Pelican III. From September 1998 to August 1999, Puga was designated as cadre professor of the Inter-Arm Defense College (CID). During this period, he was detached from May to August 1999 near the special envoy for the Balkans of the Secretary General of the United Nations, as military counselor, and participated at this foreign title to the negotiations on the deployment of UNMIK in Kosovo and the stability pact in the Balkans. From September 1999 to July 2000, Puga was an auditor for the 52nd session of IHEDN and the 49th session of the

CHEM Chem may refer to: * Chemistry practical waali mam * Chemistry * Chemical * ''Chem'' (journal), a scientific journal published by Cell Press *Post apocalyptic slang for "drugs", medicinal or otherwise in the Fallout video game series. In Ancien ...

, then he occupied successively the functions of assistant « Terre » then inter-arms assistant to the chief Admiral at the Inter-Arms Operational Center (COIA) of the État-Major des Armées. On 1 September 2004, Puga was designated as the head commandant of the Special Operation Command (

COS Cos, COS, CoS, coS or Cos. may refer to: Mathematics, science and technology * Carbonyl sulfide * Class of service (CoS or COS), a network header field defined by the IEEE 802.1p task group * Class of service (COS), a parameter in telephone syst ...

). On 1 July 2007, Puga assumed the functions of deputy chief (french: sous-chef) of operations at the general staff headquarters of the Armies and was 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 ...

. Director of the Direction du renseignement militaire in September 2008, he was designated as

Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic The Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic (''Chef d'état-major particulier du président de la République'') is a role in the military of France, military and Cabinet of France, government of France, heading the president of ...

President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency i ...

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...

by replacing in the post Admiral

Édouard Guillaud Amiral Édouard Guillaud (born 10 July 1953)

, who was nominated to Chief of the Defence Staff. During this time, Puga was maintained twice in his post by President Francois Hollande. On 16 January 2014, Puga, Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic was maintained in the 1st section of officer generals of the French Army until 30 August 2015. On 23 August 2016, Puga was designated by decree nomination as Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honor (french: Grand Chancelier de la Légion d'honneur) GC-L.H succeeding Général Jean-Louis Georgelin.

Honours and decorations

*French Parachutist Badge *

Grand Cross Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Grand ...

of the

Legion of Honour 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 Napoleo ...

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 (2006) * Officier of the Légion d'Honneur (1998) *

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'h ...

of the Légion d'Honneur (1991) * Grand Croix de l'ordre national du Mérite *

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 ...

(8 citations, 2 étoiles en vermeil et 6 en bronze) *

Ordre des Palmes académiques A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/ concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes w ...

, Commander *

Order of Agricultural Merit The Order of Agricultural Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite agricole) is an order of merit bestowed by the French Republic for outstanding contributions to agriculture. When it was created in 1883, it was second in importance only to the ...

, Commander *

Croix du combattant The Combatant's Cross (french: "Croix du combattant") is a French decoration that recognizes, as its name implies, those who fought in combat for France. The Poilus (French combat soldiers) of World War I worked toward recognition by the govern ...

Overseas Medal The Overseas Medal (french: Médaille d'Outre-Mer) is a commemorative or campaign medal issued to members of the French Armed Forces and other nations in assistance to French troops for participating in operations outside national territory. It rep ...

(5 ''agrafes'' – clasps) * Médaille de la Défense nationale (National Defence Medal in bronze) * Médaille de reconnaissance de la Nation * Médaille commémorative française *

United Nations Medal A United Nations Medal is an international decoration awarded by the United Nations (UN) to the various world countries members for participation in joint international military and police operations such as peacekeeping, humanitarian efforts, an ...

for

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

with numeral 2 *

Order of Prince Danilo I The Order of Prince Danilo I ( cnr, Орден Књаза Данила I, translit=Orden Knjaza Danila I) was an order of the Principality and later Kingdom, of Montenegro. It is currently a dynastic order granted by the head of the House of Pet ...

, Knight Commander (Montenegro) * NATO Medal for the former Yugoslavia *

Order of the Holy Sepulchre The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Equestris Sancti Sepulcri Hierosolymitani, links=yes, OESSH), also called Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, is a Catholic order of knighthood under ...

, Cross of Merit with Gold Star (Holy See) * Order pro Merito Melitensi, Military Grand Cross with swords (Malta) *

Order of the Nile The Order of the Nile (''Kiladat El Nil'') was established in 1915 and was one of the Kingdom of Egypt's principal orders until the monarchy was abolished in 1953. It was then reconstituted as the Republic of Egypt's highest state honor. Sultana ...

, Grand Officer (Egypt) *Order of the Military, 2nd class (Morocco) *Ordre de la reconnaissance centrafricaine, commandeur *Commander of the

National Order of Merit (Mauritania) The National Order of Merit is an order of merit of Mauritania Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Re ...

*National Order of Niger, Commander *

National Order of Mali The National Order of Mali is the highest of honorific orders of Mali. History The National Order of Mali was founded on 31 May 1963 to celebrate the independence of the country acquired in 1960 after decades of French colonisation. As such, ...

, Commander *

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 ...

, Commander *Defense Intelligence Agency Director's Award * Order of Merit of Germany, Grand Cross * Order of the Lion, Commander (Senegal) * Ordre National, Commandeur (Côte d'Ivoire) * Order of Merit of Poland, Grand Cross *

Order of the White Lion The Order of the White Lion ( cs, Řád Bílého lva) is the highest order of the Czech Republic. It continues a Czechoslovak order of the same name created in 1922 as an award for foreigners (Czechoslovakia had no civilian decoration for its ...

, 3rd class (Czechoslovakia) * Order of the Republic, Commander (Tunisia) *

Order of the Southern Cross Emperor Pedro I of Brazil founded the National Order of the Southern Cross ( pt, Ordem Nacional do Cruzeiro do Sul) as a Brazilian order of chivalry on 1 December 1822. The order aimed to commemorate the independence of Brazil (7 September 1 ...

, Grand Officer (Brazil) *

Order of Ouissam Alaouite Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

, Grand Officer (Morocco) *USSOCOM Medal *Croix de la bravoure militaire de Zaire (Cross of Military Bravery of Zaire) with gold palm *Inter-African Medal for the Protection of the

Bangui Agreements Bangui Agreements (also Bangui Accords, Accords de Bangui, and Bangui Peace Accords) is a 1997 negotiated peace accord in the Central African Republic (CAR). It was drawn up in Bangui to bring an end to the 1990s conflict between government and re ...

*Order of Patriotic Merit, Officer (Burundi) *

Order of the Aztec Eagle The Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle ( es, Orden Mexicana del Águila Azteca) forms part of the Mexican Honours System and is the highest Mexican order awarded to foreigners in the country. History It was created by decree on December 29, 1933 ...

, Plaque (Mexico) *

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(Military version), Honorary Commander *Puga received every single degree of the Legion of Honor and the National Order of Merit.

References

External links

*
Biography at the Ministry of Defence
{{DEFAULTSORT:Puga, Benoit 1953 births Living people People from Saint-Mandé French generals Grand Chanceliers of the Légion d'honneur Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite Recipients of the Cross for Military Valour Commanders of the Order of Agricultural Merit Commanders of the Legion of Merit Honorary Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Grand Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Commanders of the National Order of Mali Recipients of the Order of the White Lion Recipients of the Order pro Merito Melitensi