Admitted to the École militaire interarmes at Coetquidan, on 1 October 1958, in quality of a Saint-Cyrien, « Général Bugeaud », he conducted his course application at the infantry school in Nîmes, on 15 September 1960.

On 1 December 1960 he joined the center of perfection of the infantry cadres 2 at Philippeville in Algeria, then was assigned on 1 January 1961 to the 1st battalion of the 1st Tirailleurs Regiment in quality as a commando chief.

Candidate at the 88th promotion of superior war school, from September 1974 to May 1976, he served later, from June 1976 to August 1978, as an officer treating the bureau of personnel effectifs of the general staff headquarters of the French Army.

On 1 July 1989 he was the chief of the division of the organization and logistics at the general staff headquarters of the Armies (French: l'état-major des armées).

On 1 May 1991 he was designated in charge of missions near the chief of the general staff headquarters of the Armies (French: général chef d'état-major des armées) before assuming command of the 6th Light Armoured Division 6e DLB, at Nîmes, from 1 June 1991 until 5 September 1993.

On 1 September 1996 he was nominated as director of the Institute of High Studies of National Defense (French: Institut des hautes études de la défense nationale, IHEDN) and of the Center of High Military Studies (French: centre des hautes études militaires, CHEM), of the superior military teachings.

[5]It has been alleged that an agreement was reached in June 1995, during a meeting between General Janvier and Ratko Mladić, that airpower would not to be used if the Serbs freed the dozens of UN soldiers taken hostage a month earlier.

[6] «Je n'ai jamais entendu parler d'un tel accord» – En Français"(I have never heard of such an accord)" – Translated to EnglishIn 2001, he was interrogated by the French Investigative Commission (French: Commission d'Enquête Française) on the Srebrenica massacre for his role in refusing the use of airpower requested by the Dutch Battalion charged with defending the enclave.