Philippe Rebord

Philippe Rebord (born 22 April 1957) is a Swiss Lieutenant General. He served as the Chief of the Armed Forces beginning on 1 January 2017, succeeding André Blattmann. Rebord retired at the end of 2019 and was succeeded by Thomas Süssli.[1]

Philippe Rebord
Born (1957-04-22) 22 April 1957
Bovernier, Valais, Switzerland
Allegiance  Switzerland
Service/branchSwiss Armed Forces
Years of service1985–2019
Rank Korpskommandant
Commands heldChief of the Armed Forces of Switzerland

Early life and education

Rebord was born on 22 April 1957 in Bovernier, canton Valais. He earned a Lic. Phil.-hist. at the University of Lausanne.[2]

Career

Rebord began his career in the Swiss Armed Forces in 1985.[3] He served in numerous positions, rising through the ranks of the Armed Forces.[2]

On 16 September 2016, after Chief of the Armed Forces André Blattmann announced his coming retirement, the Swiss government appointed Rebord to replace him.[3] Blattmann's formal retirement ceremony was held on 8 December 2016 and Rebord officially succeeded him on 1 January 2017.[4][5][6] That same day, Rebord was promoted to the rank of Korpskommandant.[4]

Soon after his appointment as Armed Forces Chief, Rebord made purchasing new fighter jets for the Swiss Air Force and ensuring that the Armed Forces continued having enough soldiers the priorities of the Armed Forces.[7] He also called for an increased military budget, arguing the current levels were insufficient.[8]

In early April 2019, Rebord announced that he will resign at the end of the year due to a serious thrombosis and a needed hip operation.[9][10] In early September 2019, Thomas Süssli was announced as his successor.[11] Rebord's formal retirement ceremony was held on 5 December 2019, and his retirement officially took effect at the end of the year.[12][13]

References
  1. "Lieutenant General Thomas Süssli, Chief of the Armed Forces". Swiss Armed Forces. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  2. "Korpskommandant Philippe Rebord". Swiss Armed Forces. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  3. "Switzerland Appoints New Head of Armed Forces". Swissinfo. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  4. "Korpskommandant André Blattmann gibt Standarte der Schweizer Armee zurück" (in German). Swiss Armed Forces. 8 December 2016. Archived from the original on 13 February 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  5. "Le commandement de l'armée passe en mains du Valaisan Philippe Rebord" (in French). Radio Télévision Suisse. 8 December 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  6. "Philippe Rebord prend la tête de l'armée". tdg.ch (in French). 12 December 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  7. "New Army Chief Prioritises Soldier Supply, Jets". Swissinfo. 18 September 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  8. "Swiss Army Head Wants to Increase Budget". Swissinfo. 11 April 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  9. "Head of Swiss army quits for health reasons". Swissinfo. 4 April 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  10. Neuhaus, Christina (4 April 2019). "Der Chef der Schweizer Armee, Philippe Rebord, tritt zurück – VBS-Chefin betont Einvernehmlichkeit". Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  11. Busslinger, Boris (4 September 2019). "Thomas Süssli, un civil à la tête de l'armée". Le Temps (in French). Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  12. "Switzerland: The new head of the army has been inducted – Switzerland". En24 News. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  13. "Armée: le chef de l'armée Philippe Rebord passe le relais à son successeur Thomas Süssli au Château de Chillon". Le Nouvelliste. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2020.


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