Defence

Table of contents


French and British military personal wearing their respective uniform

Defence Attaché and Defence Procurement Attaché: Organization Chart

Defence Attaché and Defence Procurement Attaché: Role

The role of the office of the Defence Attaché is to promote France’s defence policy, to understand and give an insight on the United Kingdom’s defence policy, and to develop bilateral relations in the field of military cooperation between both countries.

The office of the Defence Attaché in London embodies the powerful link that brings together France and the United Kingdom in the military field.

The Defence department of the French Embassy in London is headed by a general, the Defence Attaché (DA), the Vice-Admiral Charles-Edouard de Coriolis, assisted by specialized military attachés.

The Defence Attaché

Under the authority of the ambassador, the Defence Attaché represents the ministry of defence and its different departments (cabinet, Defence Staff, services, procurement, strategic affairs, legal department, …) in the United Kingdom. He works for all these actors and communicates with each of them. He contributes to preserve, develop and promote French defence interests in the United Kingdom. He runs the Defence Department and coordinates its action.

His field of action covers three major areas of a defence relation:

exchanges regarding defence policy;

military cooperation;

procurement matters.

More precisely, he has to:

advise the ambassador for defence issues;

advise the ministry of defence for questions related to the United Kingdom;

develop the defence bilateral relations in its different fields;

ensure the promotion of the French defence policy;

support the promotion of the French defence industry.

The Defence Attaché and the deputy defence attachés are part of the diplomatic personnel of the Defence Department, according to the 1961 Vienna Convention on the diplomatic relations and thus enjoy diplomatic privileges and immunities.

Specialist Military Attachés

They assist the Defence Attaché to enable him to accomplish his missions. Therefore their role consists of:

participating to the political and military analysis on joint and combined issues, according to the distribution of tasks decided by the Defence Attaché;

participating to the collection and analysis of information in all the spheres dealing with defence policy;

advising the Defence Attaché in the areas of concern;

being the natural correspondents of their single service;

preparing official visits;

preparing the port calls of ships and stopovers of aircrafts.

The specialized military attachés are called according to their field of activity:

Procurement Attaché

Land forces Attaché

Naval Attaché

Air Attaché