Name Bernard Janvier | ||
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Bernard Janvier (born 16 July 1939) is a Général of the French Army who served in the French Foreign Legion, primarily spearheading and putting in place effective resolving forces.
Contents
- Biographie
- Military career
- Chief of the French Armed Forces 1st Admiral Jacques Laxande April 24 1991 September 8 1995
- Controversy
- Recognitions and Honors
- References
He first took part in the Algerian War. He then spearheaded at the head of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment 2e REP in a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. He was later designated as the commander of Division Daguet during the First Gulf War. Four years later, he was assigned UNPROFOR in charge of peacekeeping during the Bosnian War.
Biographie
His father Pierre, was an officer in the gendarmerie. Bernard conducted his studies at the Orange College, at schools in Nice and Algeria and the University of Rennes.
Military career
Admitted to the École militaire interarmes at Coetquidan, on October 1 1958, in quality of a Saint-Cyrien, « Général Bugeaud », he conducted his course application at the infantry school in Nimes, on September 15 1960.
On December 1 1960, he joined the center of perfection of the infantry cadres 2 at Philippeville in Algeria, then was assigned to on January 1 1961 to the 1st battalion of the 1st Tirailleurs Regiment in quality as a commando chief.
Assigned to the 1st Foreign Regiment 1e RE during the month of July 1962, he was assigned on August 1 1962 to the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment 2e REP, regiment with which he conducted a tour in North Africa from August 1962 to September 1964. From 1964 to 1967, he served in Madagascar and at the Comoros at the corps of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment 3e REI, successively as assistant officer in a combat unit then corps general staff headquarters officer (French: officier d’état-major au corps). He was promoted to the rank of captain on January 1 1967. Repatriated, he followed the captain's course at the infantry application school, then the 33rd promotion of the generals staff headquarter school in quality as a candidate, as of December 1 1968.
He commanded from 1968 to 1970, a company of the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment 9e RCP, then from 1970 to 1972, an officer company at the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr at Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan. Following, he occupied at the corps of the school, the functions of assistant chief of general information and general military formation during two years. 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 officer treating the bureau of personnel effectifs of the general staff headquarters of the French Army. He was promoted to chef de bataillon on October 1 1974.
Successively, bureau chief of instruction and operations, the commandant in second at the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment 2e REP, from August 1978 to September 1981, he participated to « Operation Tacaud » (French: Opération Tacaud) in Tchad in quality as the inter-arm commandant group « Phœnix », from November 1979 to April 1980. He received his lieutenant-colonel "galons" on October 1 1978.
In 1981, he was assigned as general staff headquarters officer of the general inspection of the French Army (French: officier d’état-major à l’inspection générale de l’armée de terre). Designated as regimental commander of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment 2e REP at Calvi, in 1982, he spearheaded the regiment in « Operation Épaulard I », within the cadre force of the Multinational Force in Lebanon from August to September 1982, at Beirut, charged in repatriating President Arafat. He was promoted to the rank of colonel on October 1 1982. He then participated to « Operation Manta » (French: Opération Manta) in Tchad, as commandant in inter-arm group from January to May 1984.
From 1984 to 1987, he exercised the functions of section chief of personnel, the that of the bureau of personnel-effectif at the general staff headquarters of the French Army. On August 1 1987, he was the assistant general commandant of the 6th Light Armoured Division 6e DLB, at Nimes, and on March 1 1988, he was admitted to the 1st section of officers generals. On July 1 1989, he was the chief of the division of organization and logistics at the general staff headquarters of the Armed Forces (French: l’état-major des armées). In May 1990, he commanded « Operation Requin » (French: Requin) at Port-Gentil in Gabon. On February 7 to April 30 1991, he commanded Division Daguet in Saudi Arabia, then Iraq.. At this title, he had under his commandment 4300 U.S. soldiers. He was promoted the Général de division on April 1 1991.
On May 1 1991, he was designated in charge of missions near the chief of the general staff headquarters of the Armed Forces (French: général chef d’état-major des armées) before assuming command of the 6th Light Armoured Division 6e DLB, at Nîmes, on June 1 1991 until September 5 1993.
He was designated chief of the general staff headquarters of the inter-arm operational planning (French: Chef de l’état-major interarmées de planification opérationnelle), on December 6 1993. He was accordingly elevated to the rank designation of Général de corps d’armée on July 1 1994.
On February 1 1995, he was placed at the disposition of the Chief of Staff of the French Army (French: Chef d’état-major de l’armée de terre) and received on March 1 1995, the chief commandment of the peacekeeping force of the united Nations for ex-Yugoslavia and simultaneously, assured the in second commandment functions of the force placed for the peace plan in Bosnia (Implementation Force, IFOR).
Towards the end of the mission, he was placed at the disposition of Chief of Staff of the French Army, on February 19 1996. On July 1996, he was nominated as a member of the superior council of the French Army (French: membre du conseil supérieur de l’armée de terre).
On September 1 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. He received his 5th Star on July 1 1998 and joined the 2nd section of officers generals on January 1 1999.
Chief of the French Armed Forces : 1st Admiral Jacques Laxande ( April 24, 1991 - September 8, 1995 )
The American press often evoked a former «accord», in June 1995, during a meeting between général Bernard Janvier and Ratko Mladic, to whom would have been told that airpower would not to be used if the Serbs liberated the dozens of Blue helmets held in hostage a month earlier.
«Je n'ai jamais entendu parler d'un tel accord» - En Français
« (I have never heard of such an accord) » - Translated to English »
affirmed yesterday in front of the mission, Admiral Jacques Lanxade, Chief of the general staff headquarters of the French Armed Forces (French: Chef d'état-major des armées) from 1991 to 1995. Questioned by Pierre Brana (PS) on the possibilities to avoid the tragedy, he simply responded :
« Début juillet, quand les événements se sont précipités, on ne pouvait militairement plus rien faire; mais cela aurait été possible si auparavant New York avait décidé de doter les zones de sécurité des moyens nécessaires à leur protection.» - En Français
« (Beginning July, when events were precipitated, we could not have militarily done anything; however, that would have been possible if New York would have decided previously to mark the security zones that are necessary to protect, and determine which appropriate necessary protective mean and requirements (Air force, Sea force, Land force) does the specifically marked designated security zone require protection for) - Translated to English »
.
In France, neither the leadership, nor the Chief of the general staff headquarters of the French Armed Forces (French: Chef d'état-major des armées), nor his direct subordinate the Chief of Staff of the French Army (French: Chef d’état-major de l’armée de terre), nor the latter's direct subordinate Général de corps d’armée Bernard Janvier (who took command of the peacekeeping force on March 1 1995) were confused on the need to determine protective countermeasures around marked security zones in order to deploy the required types of forces, and that based on the statement of 1st Admiral Jacques Lanxade, the Chief of the French Armed Forces (April 24 1991 - September 8 1995).
Controversy
On 16 November 1995, the International Association for the Prevention of Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes (AICG) applied to indict général Janvier for:
"repeatedly and systematically impeding the necessary assistance to protect both the safe area of Srebrenica and the populations present there since 1992"
and, for failing to support the Dutch peacekeeping forces that were stationed around Srebrenica.
In 2001, he was interrogated by the French Investigative Commission (French: Commission d'Enquête Française) on the Srebrenica massacre (French: massacre de Srebrenica) for his role in refusing the use of airpower requested by the Dutch Battalion charged with defending the enclave.
Recognitions and Honors
On another hand, he is decorated with numerous Foreign decorations out of which:
He was wounded on December 14 1961 at Aïn Ogra (Algeria) by a mine blast.