Brigadier General Laurent Fontaine

Brigadier Laurent FONTAINE was born on May 22, 1971, in Sedan (Ardennes).

A graduate of Saint-Cyr (1992-1995), he chose to serve in the Army Transportation Corps after completing his studies.

He first gained solid experience in operational logistics in the Army Transportation Corps.

He worked in supply transportation as a platoon leader in the 10th Command and Support Regiment (10th RCS) in Châlons-en-Champagne (1996-1998). Then in Heavy Equipment Transportation (HET) at the 517th Transport Regiment (517th RT) in Châteauroux as platoon leader, then squadron leader (2001-2003). Assigned in 2004 to the Land Logistics Force Command (CFLT) in Montlhéry, he expanded his experience across the entire spectrum of land operational logistics. Finally, he was assigned to the 519th Port and Maritime Regiment (519e RT) as head of the training operations office (La Rochelle, 2009-2011), then as commanding officer (Toulon, 2015-2017).

He was deployed twice as platoon leader in Operation SALAMANDRE in the former Yugoslavia, first in Mostar (1997) and then in Sarajevo (1998). He was deployed again in 2003 as head of operations for the logistics detachment of Operation LICORNE in the Republic of Ivory Coast. In 2007, he spent six months with the UN at the UNIFIL joint logistics operations center (JLOC) in Lebanon.

He has extensive NATO operational experience at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels.

At the strategic level, he served in the United States from 2011 to 2015 as a French Staff Officer within Allied Command Transformation (ACT) in Norfolk. He was promoted to colonel in 2014 during this assignment. At the operational level, during his assignment to the Rapid Reaction Corps-France (CRR-Fr) in Lille (2017-2020), he was Chief of Staff of the Joint Logistic Support Group (JLSG), a multinational deployable logistics structure at the operational level, during the NATO JTF HQ alert provided by France .At the tactical level, as commanding
officer, he maintained the expertise of one of NATO’s main military sea ports of debarkation (SPOD).

On the academic front, he is an auditor at the 137th session of the NATO Defense College in Rome, where he is class president.

He enriched his experience through several joint assignments in land logistics and ministerial work. In 2019, he was deployed for seven months to Bamako (Operation BARKHANE) as an advisor to the General commanding the G5 Sahel Joint Force, supporting this African operational headquarters composed of military personnel from Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Chad. In February 2021, he was assigned to the War College as a group instructor.

In July 2021, he was assigned to the Operations Planning and Conduct Center (EMA/CPCO) as J4 chief. There,he was specifically responsible for the logistical withdrawal from Mali of BARKHANE force units and the European TAKUBA Task Force. In response to the Russian attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, he carried out in seven days (February 28-March 6, 2022) the strategic deployment of the VJTF Spearhead Battalion during the NATO Response Force (NRF) alert provided by France , followed by its long-term logistical support.
Assigned in 2023 as Chief of Staff of the Force Logistics Command (COM LOG) in Lille, he initiated the rampingup of this staff as an operational command as part of the “combat army” transformation .Assigned in 2024 to the General Inspectorate of the Armed Forces – Land (IGA-T), he was tasked with preparing a report for the Minister of the Armed Forces on the support of land forces deployed on the eastern flank of Europe.

Appointed Brigadier on August 1, 2025, he took command of the Transportation and Operational Logistics School (ETLO) in Bourges on that date.

Brigadier Laurent FONTAINE graduated from the Advanced Staff Course in 2008, the Joint Defense College (War College) in 2009, and the NATO Defense College in 2021.

Married with three children, he has been awarded Officer of the Legion of Honor and of the National Order of Merit.