Paris, January 13, 2026 - Meeting in session
at the end of December, the Board of Directors of the GICAT (Groupement des industries françaises de Défense et de Sécurité terrestres et aéroterrestres) has decided to select the candidature of General de corps d'armée (2S) Marc Ollier to eventually take on the role of Group General Delegate. He will succeed General de Corps (2S) Jean-Marc Duquesne, who has been in office for eleven years, at the end of July 2026.
In view of the departure in mid-January of Déléguée générale adjointe Défense, Ingénie générale de l'armement Martine Poirmeur, General Marc Ollier will act as Deputy Delegate General Defense from January 15 to the end of July 2026, to ensure a smooth transition, take full measure of the challenges facing the land-based sector, and help build the future management team (DGA Defense and Secretary General).
During this period, he will work in tandem with General Jean-Marc Duquesne to ensure GICAT's strategic and operational continuity until he takes over as Managing Director.
General de corps d'armée (2S) Marc OLLIER has served for 39 years with the Ministry of the Armed Forces, both in France and abroad, in command, staff and strategic advisory roles. Former commander of the 12ᵉ régiment de cuirassiers equipped with Leclerc tanks, military governor of Strasbourg and commander of the 2ᵉ brigade blindée (2018-2020), he has exercised operational responsibilities close to the forces, in France as well as in numerous theaters of operation within NATO, European and UN frameworks.
BIOGRAPHY of Lieutenant General (2S) Marc OLLIER
With solid experience in central administration and capability management, he contributed to the drafting of the White Paper on defense and the military programming law, and led structuring reforms within the French army, notably through the creation of the Simplification Task Force. Most recently Inspector of the French Armed Forces (2022-2025), he has overseen audits, inspections and evaluations of forces in overseas operations and of joint services.
An engineer by training, a graduate of Saint-Cyr, with Masters degrees from the Royal Military College of Sciences in Shrivenham and King's College London, and an auditor from the IHEDN, General Marc Ollier is recognized for his expertise in strategic and capability analysis, organizational transformation and risk management. These skills will be decisive assets in his future role as General Delegate of GICAT, where he will support the development, competitiveness and influence of the French land and air defense and security industry, in the service of national industrial sovereignty.
The challenges facing the defense industry today are major: industrial consolidation, accelerating innovation, strengthening sovereign capabilities and export dynamics in a profoundly transformed strategic context. More than ever, GICAT is mobilizing to support its 490 members and represent the voice of the defense and security industry to public authorities and institutional partners in France and abroad. Marc Ollier's operational, strategic and organizational experience will be a decisive asset in guiding the industry through this new phase of transformation and competitiveness.
Media contact:
Delphine SAMPIC
