French Air Force General Philippe Lavigne replaced General André Lanata as Supreme Allied Commander Transformation during a change of command ceremony in Norfolk officiated by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and attended by Supreme Allied Commander Europe Tod Wolters.

 

 

The Secretary General thanked General Lanata for his outstanding leadership: “General Lanata, let me highlight your significant contribution to the development of the NATO Warfighting Capstone Concept, which will guide our Alliance capability development to 2040. Your work has left its mark on this Alliance, and will be taken forward by your successor as we continue to adapt". In recognition of General Lanata’s contribution to the Alliance, the Secretary General presented him with the NATO Meritorious Service Medal.

General Lavigne, who has been Chief of Staff of the French Air Force until 10 September 2021, is a recipient of the Légion d'Honneur as well as an accomplished pilot, having flown more than 2750 flying hours including during operations in former Yugoslavia and Iraq. Among other leadership roles, General Lavigne most notably commanded Kabul International Airport in Afghanistan and all the French forces engaged in Operation PAMIR. He supervised the smooth transfer of responsibility of the airport from Allied forces to the civilian authorities.

“NATO's Transformation and warfare development is not an empty concept,” said Lavigne, “but the only possible way to collectively overcome threats of all kinds, be it terrorism, conventional, and nuclear, or emerging threats from new domains like Cyber, Space or Cognitive warfare... I am here to serve NATO, and I will devote, as always, all my will.”

 Supreme Allied Commander Transformation is one of NATO’s two strategic commanders. Allied Command Transformation (ACT) is responsible for promoting and overseeing the continuing transformation of Alliance forces and capabilities. ACT ensures that NATO’s war fighting capabilities remain relevant, provides an indispensable understanding of current and future security challenges, and contributes to the development of NATO doctrine, concepts and interoperability standards. The Command is also responsible for NATO’s training and education programmes.

The JALLC's Commander, Brigadier General Bogdan Cernat, was present at the change of command ceremony and, on behalf of the JALLC, wished General Lavigne all the best for his tenure. The JALLC looks forward to working with General Lavigne in the future.