On Thursday, March 5, 2025, the NATO Command and Control Centre of Excellence welcomed Major General (Ret.) Jean Bouillaud, former ACOS J3 at JFC Brunssum and Chief of Staff of HQ Rapid Reaction Corps. During his visit, the General received a briefing on the centre’s mission, vision, and ongoing activities.
The informal meeting included insightful discussions on Command and Control, its role in Multi-Domain Operations, the NATO Warfighting Capstone Concept, and the rapid advancements in technology driving NATO’s digital transformation. Additionally, the stance of both NATO and, in particular, France on the current challenges facing NATO was discussed.
As General Bouillaud mentioned: “French Command and Control has different constructs, but in the end, it all depends on the situation, and it is up to us to decide which framework fits best.”
The NATO C2COE serves as a NATO-accredited knowledge hub that focuses on interdisciplinary applied research, development, consultations, evaluations, and support related to operational-level Command and Control. At its core, the centre comprises a diverse group of international experts representing four nations. Membership in the NATO C2COE is open to all Allies. Currently, the Netherlands, Türkiye and the United States have committed as Sponsoring Nations, with Germany expressing its intention to rejoin next year.
Major General (Ret.) Jean Bouillaud (FRA A) joined the French Armed Forces in 1989 and had a distinguished career as a junior and mid-level officer. Promoted to Brigadier General on July 1, 2018, he commanded the Army Aviation School in Le Luc-en-Provence. From this position, he transitioned to Joint Force Command Brunssum as ACOS J3 in the summer of 2020. On August 1, 2022, he was assigned to HQ Rapid Reaction Corps – FRA as Chief of Staff and was promoted to Major General on November 1, 2022. Since his retirement on August 1, 2024, he has continued to serve in the Army as a task force manager.
