Christophe Prazuck (born 11 October 1960) is a French naval officer. He was promoted to amiral and appointed the

Chief of Staff of the French Navy The Chief of the Naval Staff (, , abbr. CEMM) is a French general officer, adviser to the Chief of the Defence Staff (France), Chief of the Defence Staff for the French Navy and responsible to the Minister of the Armed Forces (France), Minister of ...

on 13 July 2016.

Early life and first assignments

The son of Amiral Stéphane Prazuck, Christophe Prazuck entered to the

École Navale École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

() in September 1979. After the application school on the ''Jeanne d'Arc'', he was assigned from 1982 to 1984 on the patroller ''Altaïr'' then on the Amphibious disembarking transport ship ''Champlain'', based at the

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

. He remained primarily in the zone around the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

until his next posting as second commanding officer of the patroller ''Épée'' in

Mayotte Mayotte ( ; , ; , ; , ), officially the Department of Mayotte (), is an Overseas France, overseas Overseas departments and regions of France, department and region and single territorial collectivity of France. It is one of the Overseas departm ...

.Biographie du vice amiral d'escadre Prazuck
on site of the ''ministère de la Défense'' From 1984 to 1989, Prazuck joined the Submarine Forces, serving first on the ''

Ouessant Ushant (; , ; , ) is a French island at the southwestern end of the English Channel which marks the westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany (administrative region), Brittany and in medieval times, Viscounty of Léon, Léon ...

'', then on the '' Doris'' as an operations officer; he was then an officer marked «armes» at the commission of practical studies. From 1989 to 1991, Prazuck was a candidate at the United States Naval Postgraduate School at

Monterey, California Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, California, Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a popu ...

, where he obtained a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

Physical oceanography Physical oceanography is the study of physical conditions and physical processes within the ocean, especially the motions and physical properties of ocean waters. Physical oceanography is one of several sub-domains into which oceanography is div ...

(Physical behavior study of the oceans). Following that formation, he directed naval environmental cell of Toulouse.

Senior naval career

Commands

In 1994, Prazuck became second in command of the command and supply ship ''Var'', before assuming command of the amphibious ship ''Camplain'' the following year. In 1996, Prazuck integrated the Inter-arm Defense College (École de guerre), and became chief of the operations group (CGO) on board the anti-submarine frigate '' Tourville''. In 1999, he assumed command of the ''

Floréal Floréal () was the eighth month in the French Republican calendar. The month was named after the Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was or ...

'' based in Reunion.

Public relations

In 2000, Prazuck joined the Information Service and Public Relations of the Armies () – Marine (SIRPA – Marine) where he exercised the function of second in command, before assuming the lead role in 2001 for a period of three years. In 2004, he was placed at the head of the Media department of Communication and Information Defense Delegation () (DICoD), then in 2006, he became the communication counselor of the Chief of the general staff headquarters of the Armies CEMA.

General officer

On 1 August 2009, Prazuck was nominated to the rank of

contre-amiral Counter admiral is a military rank used for high-ranking officers in several navies around the world, though the rank is not used in the English-speaking world, where its equivalent rank is rear admiral. The term derives from the French . Dependi ...

( Counter-Admiral) and assumed, in August 2010, the commandment of Maritime Force of the Fusiliers Marins and Commandos (FORFUSCO) in

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...

. Promoted to vice-amiral d’escadre (

Squadron vice-admiral Squadron admiral and Squadron vice-admiral are senior naval flag officer ranks, usually equivalent to vice admiral in English-speaking world, Anglophone countries. A squadron admiral or squadron vice-admiral is typically senior to a vice admiral ...

), he became, in August 2010, the director of military personnel of the

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

and deputy chief of the general staff headquarters – Human resources – of the general staff headquarters of the French Navy (). By a Ministerial Council () Decree decision on 6 July 2016, Prazuck was designated as

() and was elevated to the rank designation of amiral, as of 12 July,Decree of July 7 2016
JORF n° 158 July 8 by replacing Amiral

Bernard Rogel Bernard Rogel (born 5 January 1956) is a French admiral, Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic, and former Chief of Staff of the French Navy, a post which he took up on 12 September 2011 until 13 July 2016. Early life and c ...

, who had been promoted to

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 ...

().

Decorations and medals

*French Parachutist Badge *

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

of the Order of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

(2015) *

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

of the National Order of Merit *Commander of the

Ordre du Mérite Maritime The () is a French order established on 9 February 1930 for services rendered by seafarers to recognise the risks involved and the services rendered by seamen, and reflect the important economic role of the Merchant Navy to the country. The or ...

National Defence Medal The National Defence Medal () is a French military decoration. It was created by Charles Hernu, Minister of Defence and established by decree on 21 April 1982. It rewards particularly honourable service rendered by military personnel for their par ...

(silver degree) *

French commemorative medal The French commemorative medal () is a French decoration intended to recognize civilians and soldiers who took part in specific missions ordered by the French government carried out outside of French national territory after 1 March 1991. It wa ...

NATO Medal The NATO Medal is an international military decoration which is awarded to various militaries of the world under the authority of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It is manufactured by Eekelers-Centini Intl, of Hemiksem, Belgium. Ba ...

for ex-Yugoslavia *Commander's Cross

Order pro Merito Melitensi The Order of Merit (; ) is the order of merit of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, established in 1920. It is awarded to recipients who have brought honour to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, promoted Christian values and for chari ...

, military version (

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious ...

) * Order of Naval Merit, Grand Officer (Brazil) *Order of Merit "Tamanduré" (Brazil) *Unidentified award *

Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then p ...

(Australia) – For distinguished service to developing the defence relationship between Australia and France through commitment, leadership and strategic foresight as Chief of Staff of the French Navy.2019-S7
– Honorary Officer (AO) in Military Division (8 October 2019) *

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...

, Commander

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prazuck, Christophe 1960 births Chiefs of staff of the French Navy Commanders of the Legion of Honour Commanders of the Ordre du Mérite Maritime Honorary officers of the Order of Australia Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite Recipients of the Order of Naval Merit (Brazil) Commanders of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic École Navale alumni Living people People from Oran