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Stéphane Abrial
Stéphane Abrial
	Général d'Armée Aérienne Stéphane Abrial, Commander Allied Command Transformation-NATO
Born	7 September 1954 (age 70); Condom, Gers
Allegiance	France
Service / branch	French Air Force
Years of service	1976 – 2012
Rank	Général d'armée aérienne
Commands	Chief of Staff of the French Air Force (2006–2009); Allied Command Transformation (2009–2012)
Battles / wars	Gulf War
Awards	Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour; Officer of the Order of National Merit; Médaille de l'Aéronautique; Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States); Grand Officer of the Order of Abdulaziz al Saud (Saudi Arabia); Grand Officer of the Order of Aeronautical Merit (Brazil)

Stéphane Abrial (French pronunciation: [abʁiɑl]; born 7 September 1954), is a French general who is the previous commander of Allied Command Transformation based in Norfolk, VA, one of the two NATO strategic commands. His previous posting was as the Chief of Staff of the French Air Force.^[1]

French military career

General Stéphane Abrial graduated in 1973 from the French Air Force academy (École de l'air), and in 1974 from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He completed pilot training at the French Air Force Academy in 1976.

From 1977 to 1991, he served as a fighter pilot both in France (in Cambrai, Dijon and Orange) and, from 1981 to 1984, in a West German Luftwaffe unit. In 1988, he assisted the Greek Air Force in converting its first unit equipped with the Mirage 2000.

In 1991, he took part in the first Gulf War as a fighter pilot and commander of the French Air Force's 5th Fighter Squadron. Later that year, he attended the Air War College, at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.

From 1992 to 1996, he served in the staff of the French Air Force Chief of Staff and the Chief of Defense Staff. From 1996 to 1999, he served at NATO Headquarters, in Brussels. In 2000, he became deputy head of the French President's military staff, and in 2002 was appointed head of the French Prime Minister's military staff.

In 2005, General Abrial became head of the French Air Defense headquarters, in Taverny, and in 2006 Air Force Chief of Staff.^[2]

NATO Supreme Allied Commander

Gen. Stéphane Abrial received appointment by the North Atlantic Council as Supreme Allied Commander Transformation on 29 July 2009, the first European to be appointed permanently as head of a NATO strategic command.

In April 2010, he received a Distinguished Leadership Award from the Atlantic Council.^[3]

Major military awards

Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur (France)
Officer of the Ordre national du Mérite (France)
Croix de guerre des TOE with one silver-gilt star (France)
Croix du Combattant (France)
Médaille de l'Aéronautique (France)
Overseas Medal with two bars (France)
Legion of Merit, Commander (USA)
Bundeswehr Cross of Honour in Silver (Germany)
German Sports Badge (Military version in Bronze)
Order of Abdulaziz al Saud, First Class (Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
Grand Officer of the Order of Aeronautical Merit (Brazil)^[4]
Santos-Dumont Medal of Merit, Brazilian Air Force
Cross of Naval Merit, White Grand Cross (Spain)^[5]
NATO Meritorious Service Medal
Commemorative Medal of the Chief of General Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces in gold^[6]
Order of the Crown, Grand Cross (Belgium)^[7]
Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, Commander's Cross^[8]
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Commander's Cross (7 September 2015)

Civilian career

Since July 2015, Abrial has been senior executive vice president of international and public affairs of Safran.^[9]

Since February 2014, Abrial has also been chairman of the board of directors of the Musée de l’air et de l’espace Paris, since April 2013, director of the Atlantic Council, and, since December 2013, member of the advisory board of the Aspen Institute France.^[10]

Notes

^ "General da Aeronáutica Stéphane ABRIAL, 54 anos, atual Chefe do Estado-Maior da Aeronáutica, assume o comando da ACT – Atores públicos – Informação e análise sobre políticas públicas e serviço público". Archived from the original on 8 September 2012.
^ "Official biography". Archived from the original on 19 September 2016.
^ "ACT press release". Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
^ "Comandante da Aeronáutica participa de solenidade na Base Aérea de Orange" (in Portuguese). Força Aérea Brasileira. 17 September 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
^ "Visita al Ministerio de Defensa del General del Aire D.Stéphane Abrial,Comandante Supremo del Mando Aliado de Transformacion(SACT) Imposición de la Gran Cruz del Mérito Naval con distintivo blanco" (in Spanish). Ministerio de Defensa de España. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
^ "Generálporučík Vojtek v Rumunsku ocenil medailou generála Abriala" (in Slovak). OZBROJENÉ SILY SR. 17 September 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
^ "Grand-Croix de l'Ordre de la Couronne pour le Général français Stéphane Abrial" (in French). Pieter De Crem. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
^ "Stéphane Abrial".
^ Kerry Lynch (2 June 2016). "Turbomeca, Snecma CEOs Shift In Safran Shakeup". AINonline. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
^ "Stéphane Abrial". Safran. Retrieved 15 February 2017.

Military offices
Preceded by Richard Wolsztynski	Chief of Staff of the French Air Force 16 July 2006 – 24 August 2009	Succeeded by Jean-Paul Paloméros
Preceded by James Mattis	Supreme Allied Commander Transformation 9 September 2009 – 6 August 2012	Succeeded by Jean-Paul Paloméros