Paris, 13 January 2026 – Meeting in an extraordinary session at the end of December, the Board of Directors of GICAT (the French Land and Airland Defence and Security Industries Association) decided to select General (Ret.) Marc Ollier to ultimately assume the position of Delegate General of the Association. He will succeed General (Ret.) Jean-Marc Duquesne, who has held the post for eleven years, at the end of July 2026.
In light of the departure in mid-January of the Deputy Delegate General for Defence, Armaments Engineer General Martine Poirmeur, General Marc Ollier will serve as Deputy Delegate General for Defence from 15 January to the end of July 2026 in order to ensure the transition, fully grasp the challenges facing the land defence industrial sector, and contribute to the formation of the future management team (Defence Deputy Delegate General and Secretary General).
During this period, he will work in tandem with General Jean-Marc Duquesne to guarantee the strategic and operational continuity of GICAT until he takes up his duties as Delegate General.
BIOGRAPHY OF GENERAL (RET.) MARC OLLIER
General (Ret.) Marc Ollier served for 39 years within the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, in France and abroad, in command, staff and strategic advisory positions. Former commander of the 12th Cuirassier Regiment equipped with Leclerc tanks, Military Governor of Strasbourg and Commander of the 2nd Armoured Brigade (2018–2020), he held operational responsibilities in close contact with the armed forces, both in France and across numerous theatres of operation within NATO, European and United Nations frameworks.
With extensive experience in central administration and capability management, he contributed to the drafting of the Defence White Paper and the Military Programming Law, and led major structural reforms within the French Army, notably through the creation of the Simplification Task Force. Most recently, as Inspector of the Armed Forces (2022–2025), he supervised audits, inspections and assessments of forces engaged in overseas operations as well as joint services.
An engineer by training, a graduate of Saint-Cyr, holder of master’s degrees from the Royal Military College of Science in Shrivenham and King’s College London, and an alumnus of the Institut des Hautes Études de Défense Nationale (IHEDN), General Marc Ollier is recognised for his expertise in strategic and capability analysis, organisational transformation and risk management. These skills will be key assets in his future role as Delegate General of GICAT, supporting the development, competitiveness and international standing of the French land and airland Defence and Security industry, in the service of national industrial sovereignty.
The challenges facing the Defence industrial sector are now considerable: industrial consolidation, accelerated innovation, strengthening of sovereign capabilities and export momentum in a profoundly transformed strategic environment. More than ever, GICAT is mobilising to support its 490 member companies and to represent the Defence and Security industry to public authorities and French and international institutional partners. Marc Ollier’s operational, strategic and organisational experience will be a decisive asset in guiding the sector through this new phase of transformation and competitiveness.
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