In addition to his status as an army general, he served as Chief of Staff of the French Army from 17 April 1991 to 27 August 1996 after having been Head of the Minister of Defence's military cabinet from 17 April 1989 to 17 May 1991.

[1] He was admitted to the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr in 1954 and he chose to serve in the artillery.

[3] In April 1991, he accepted the position of Chief of Staff of the French Army, leaving his previous post to Jean Rannou.

[4] During his tenure as head of the French Army, he led France through the Yugoslav Wars and the Rwandan genocide.

In 1996, the year he turned 61, he retired from the Army and left his position to Philippe Mercier.