Vincent Desportes is a retired French Army

French Army

The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...

 general and military theorist.

Desportes graduated from the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr

École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr

The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr is the foremost French military academy. Its official name is . It is often referred to as Saint-Cyr . Its motto is "Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre": literally "They study to vanquish" or "Training for victory"...

, specialising in armour warfare. He also holds an engineer's degree, a diplôme d'études approfondies in sociology, a MBA, and graduated from the U.S. Army War College

U.S. Army War College

The United States Army War College is a United States Army school located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500 acre campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks...

.

He was Military attaché

Military attaché

A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...

 in the French embassy in the USA, aid to the General secretary for national defence

General secretary for national defence (France)

The Secretariat-General for National Defence and Security is an interministerial organism under the Prime Minister of France.The Secretary General for National Defence is Mr...

, and director of the Centre de doctrine et d'emploi des forces.

Along with Jean-Francois Phelizon, Desportes is co-director of the "Stratégies & Doctrines" collection of Economica editions.

Desportes headed the Collège interarmées de défense in 2008-2010.

Honours

• Officer of the Legion of Honour
  Légion d'honneur
  The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
  
  
• Officer of the National Order of Merit
  Ordre National du Mérite
  The Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
  
  
• Knight of the Order of Arts and Literature
  Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
  The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
  
  
• Badge of Honour of the Bundeswehr
  Badge of Honour of the Bundeswehr
  The Badge of Honour of the German Armed Forces is a series of military decorations of the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany...
  
   (Germany)
• Officer of the Legion of Merit
  Legion of Merit
  The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
  
   (USA)
• Meritorious Service Medal
  Meritorious Service Medal (United States)
  The Meritorious Service Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969...
  
   (USA)

Books

• Cavalerie de décision, ADDIM, 1998, ISBN 2-907-341847

• Comprendre la guerre, Economica, 2000, 2e édition en 2001, ISBN 2-717-842861
  Prix Fréville de l'Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques
  Prix Vauban de l'Association des Auditeurs de l'IHEDN

• L'Amérique en Armes, Economica, 2002, ISBN 2-717-844341

• Décider dans l'incertitude, Economica, 2004, 2e édition en 2007, ISBN 2-717-853359
  English Translation Deciding in the Dark, Economica, 2008, ISBN 2-717-855742

• Introduction à la Stratégie, Economica, 2007, ISBN 2-717-854231

• La Guerre Probable, Economica, 2007, ISBN 2-717-855041
  Prix de la Saint-Cyrienne 2008
  English Translation Tomorrow’s War, Brookings Institution Press, 2009, ISBN 2-717-857184

Articles

• Articles in Défense & Sécurité Internationale
• Articles in Défense et sécurité collective
• Several articles in Doctrine
• Article in Politique Etrangère (journal of the IFRI
  Institut français des relations internationales
  L'Institut français des relations internationales is the main independent research and debate institution dedicated to international affairs, based in Paris, France....
  
  )
• Interview in Défense et Sécurité internationale (DSI)
• Article in Revue Militaire Suisse
• Interview in DefenseNews
• Interview in Le Monde
  Le Monde
  Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
  
  
• Article in La Tribune
  La Tribune
  La Tribune is a French financial newspaper that was founded in 1985. The paper is in tabloid format and has a circulation of around 78,000.- External links :**...
  
  
• Interview in Small War Journal
• Entretien in Le Monde
  Le Monde
  Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
  
  07/02/2010

External links

Centre de doctrine et d'emploi des forces Collège interarmées de défense

Sources

Ens-Centre de géostratégie Ministry of Defence Biography