Henri Bentégeat

Henri Bentégeat (born 27 May 1946 in Talence, France) is a French Army general who served first as the Chief of the French Defence Staff between 2002 and 2006 and then as the chairman of the European Union Military Committee between 2006 and 2009.

Biography
Bentégeat graduated from the French military academy École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr in 1967 and opted for the Troupes de marine branch. He held various staff and command positions - including several deployments to Senegal, Chad and Central Africa - until he took command of Régiment d'infanterie-chars de marine (RICM), which already was a professional regiment at a time when most of the French Army was still drafted. From 1990 to 1992, he served as Assistant Defence Attaché in Washington, D.C. and from 1996 to 1998 was commander, French armed forces, West Indies (Lesser Antilles). He served as assistant to the Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic from 1993.

Bentégeat was promoted to the rank of Brigade General in 1995 and to Divisional General in 1998, when he became assistant to the director for strategic affairs of the French Ministry of Defence. In April 1999, he was made Chief of the Military Staff of the President of the Republic, was promoted to Général de corps d'armée on 1 September 1999 and to Général d'armée on 4 January 2001. He became Chef d'état-major des armées (Chief of the Defence Staff) in October 2002.

On 6 November 2006, Bentégeat took up the position of chairman of the European Union Military Committee by appointment of the European Council. His term ended on 6 November 2009, when he was succeeded by Håkan Syrén.

Henri Bentegeat's education includes completion of the Junior Staff Course, Staff College in 1985 and of the Advanced Military Studies Course in 1992. He holds a bachelor's degree in history from La Sorbonne University in Paris and is a 1983 graduate from Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris.

In April 2023, he was elected to a seat in the Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques.

He is married and the father of four.

Promotions
Bentégeats promotions:
 * 1968 – Lieutenant
 * 1974 – Captain
 * 1979 – Major (Commandant)
 * 1983 – Lieutenant Colonel
 * 1988 – Colonel
 * 1995 – Brigadier General (Général de brigade)
 * 1998 – Major General (Général de division)
 * 1999 – Lieutenant General (Général de corps d'armée)
 * 2001 – General (Général d'armée)

French honours

 * Legion Honneur GC ribbon.svg Gran Cross of the Légion d'honneur (2016)
 * National Order of Merit - Commander (France).png Commander of the Ordre national du Mérite
 * Medaille d'Outre-Mer (Coloniale) ribbon.svg Overseas Medal

Foreign honours

 * CAR Ordre de la Reconnaissance Centreafricaine Commandeur ribbon.svg Commander of the Order of Central African recognition (Central African Republic)
 * CHL Order of Bernardo O'Higgins - Knight BAR.png Knight of the Order of Bernardo O'Higgins (Chile)
 * GER Bundesverdienstkreuz 4 GrVK.svg Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
 * HUN Order of Merit of the Hungarian Rep (military) 4class BAR.svg Officier of the Hungarian Order of Merit (Hungary)
 * ITA OMRI 2001 GUff BAR.svg Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Italy)
 * LUX Ordre de Mérite du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg - Chevalier BAR.svg Knight of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
 * MDG National Order - Grand Officer BAR.png Grand Officer of the National Order of Madagascar
 * Ordre de l'Ouissam Alaouite GC ribbon (Maroc).svg Grand Cordon of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite (Morocco)
 * MAR Order of the Military - Special Class BAR.png Grand Cordon of the Order of Military Merit (Morocco)
 * NATO medal for Kosovo ribbon.svg NATO Medal for Kosovo (NATO)
 * Nishan-e-Imtiaz.png Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Pakistan)
 * SEN Order of the Lion - Commander BAR.png Commander of the National Order of the Lion (Senegal)
 * ESP Gran Cruz Merito Militar (Distintivo Blanco) pasador.svg Grand Cross – White Decoration of the Cross of Military Merit (Spain)
 * Order of military merit (Syria).png Knight of the Order of Military Merit (Syria)
 * TGO Order of Mono - Grand Officer BAR.png Grand Officer of the Order of Mono (Togo)
 * US Legion of Merit Commander ribbon.png Commander of the Legion of Merit (USA)

book

 * Aimer l'Armée - Une passion à Partager, (To love the Army - a passion to be shared). Éditions Dumesnil, Paris 2011 - ISBN 978-2365340014