Admiral Christophe Cluzel was appointed as the 64th Chief of Staff of the French Navy (Chef d’état-major de la Marine, CEMM) on July 15, 2026. He succeeds to Admiral Nicolas Vaujour at the head of the French Navy.
According to our calculations, Admiral Cluzel becomes the 64th Chief of Staff of the French Navy (not counting three admirals at the head of French naval forces during the Vichy regime but counting two admirals of the Free French Naval Forces during WWII).
The change of command ceremony took place on the flight deck of the first ship-in-class Mistral landing helicopter dock (LHD) at Toulon naval base.
Roles of the French Navy Chief of Staff
As Chief of Staff of the Navy, Admiral Cluzel is the first representative of the French Navy. In this capacity, he advises and assists the Joint Chief of Staff with regards to the French Navy. He ensures the operational readiness of the naval forces, is responsible for the recruitment, initial training, discipline, morale and condition of sailors and maintains bilateral relations with foreign navies.
He has authority over the naval staff, over the direction of naval military personnel, over major force commands, and over maritime zones commanders.
Admiral Christophe Cluzel entered the French Naval Academy (École navale) in 1991. Following his officer training aboard the helicopter carrier Jeanne d’Arc, he was successively assigned to the patrol vessel Grèbe, the landing platform dock (LPD) Ouragan, the anti-aircraft frigate Cassard, and the surveillance frigate Ventôse. During these tours, he took part in early maritime law enforcement missions in the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, as well as counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean.
In 1999, he joined the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) frigate La Motte-Picquet, deploying for Operations CORYMBE and KHOR ANGAR. From 2001 to 2002, he assumed command of the patrol vessel La Moqueuse, based in New Caledonia. In 2002, he embarked on the ASW frigate Montcalm, participating in Operations AMARANTE, ENDURING FREEDOM, and AGAPANTHE. He was subsequently appointed “combat system expert” aboard the anti-aircraft frigate Jean Bart. In 2005, he took command of the offshore patrol vessel (OPV) Enseigne de vaisseau Jacoubet, deploying twice to the Indian Ocean as part of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.
He joined the 15th class of the Joint Defense College (Collège interarmées de défense) in 2007. He was then assigned to the Directorate for Strategic Affairs, where his responsibilities included ballistic missile defense and counter-piracy operations.
In 2010, he was appointed executive officer (XO) of the air defense frigate Forbin, participating in Operations AGAPANTHE and HARMATTAN. He was subsequently assigned as Deputy Chief of Operations for the joint staff of “ALINDIEN / COMFOR EAU” based in Abu Dhabi. In 2014, he became Chief of Staff of the French Carrier Strike Group (CSG), participating in Operation CHAMMAL. He commanded the air defense frigate Forbin from 2015 to 2017, during which he was engaged in Operation INHERENT RESOLVE.
In 2017, he became a fellow at the Center for Higher Military Studies (CHEM, 67th session) and the Institute for Higher National Defense Studies (IHEDN, 70th session). From 2018 to 2020, he served in the military cabinet of the Minister of the Armed Forces, first as deputy and later as head of the Operations and International Relations unit.
In August 2020, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the French Maritime Force (FRMARFOR) and served as the tactical commander for the European Operation AGENOR. Promoted to rear admiral (contre-amiral) on January 1, 2021, he took command of FRMARFOR and led the CLEMENCEAU 22 and ANTARES deployments. He was promoted to vice admiral (vice-amiral) on February 1, 2023.
On August 1, 2023, he was appointed Commander of the Naval Action Force (ALFAN) as well as Commander of the Nuclear Naval Aviation Force (FANU), while being promoted to the rank of vice admiral of the fleet (vice-amiral d’escadre).
Admiral Nicolas Vaujour stepped down after leading the French Navy through a period marked by rising geopolitical friction and the initial phases of France’s updated military planning law (LPM).
As the new Navy Chief of Staff, Admiral Cluzel assumes leadership at a pivotal moment, overseeing the ongoing modernization of the fleet—including the development of next-generation nuclear ballistic missile submarines (SNLE 3G), the future aircraft carrier (PANG), and expanding drone capabilities across all naval domains.
