Francois-Marie Gougeon
Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning
2025
Francois-Marie Gougeon is Acting Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning and is responsible for the Alliance's capability and force planning, posture, plans, and a range of defence policy questions, including nuclear issues.
Mr. Gougeon was appointed to the post of Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning, NATO HQ, in September 2024.
Throughout his military career as a Marine officer, he gained international experience through a number of NATO postings as well as operational deployments, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and East Africa.
From 2016 to 2019, he served as deputy director for defence strategy at the French Ministry of Defence's Directorate General for Internal Relations and Strategic Affairs, where he played a leading role in drafting the 2017 National Strategic Security Review. Prior to his current position, Francois-Marie served as Director for Policy and Capabilities at NATO's International Military Staff.
An alumnus of the Centre des Hautes Etudes Militaires and of the Institut des Hautes Etudes de Defense Nationale, he holds a Master’s degree in military studies from the US Marine Corps University and is a graduate of the US Marine Corps Command and Staff College.