Vice Admiral Ludovic Poitou

Deputy Commander NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM)

Vice Admiral Ludovic Poitou joined the French Navy in 1993. For over 30 years, he has served in the surface fleet and in operational headquarters. During his first years in the navy, he completed fleet time on the patrol boat ALBATROS on which he conducted several surveillance patrols of the French Antarctic islands in the southern seas of the Indian Ocean. He also served on the frigate COMMANDANT DUCUING as a gunnery officer. Following the Principal Warfare Officer's course, he then moved on to appointments within the French Carrier Strike Group.

As weapons officer of the anti-submarine Destroyer JEAN DE VIENNE, he was deployed to protect the Aircraft carrier CHARLES DE GAULLE for operation ENDURING FREEDOM in November 2001. Then, as Air defence officer of the Anti-Air Destroyer CASSARD, he was deployed in 2006 with the carrier to the Indian Ocean.In July 2006, he was appointed as an exchange officer in the Royal Navy and joined the staff of Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces as a NATO planner or lead for national carrier deployments. Selected for Staff Course in 2010, he then joined the naval headquarters in Paris, appointed as fleet operations officer for the French Navy. During his career, he assumed command of several warships: in 2003, of the fast patrol boat LA RAILLEUSE in Tahiti on which he delivered humanitarian aid and assistance in the Tonga Islands badly hit by a hurricane.

Later in 2008, he assumed command of the frigate COMMANDANT BIROT based in Toulon on which he was deployed within the United Nations maritime force off Lebanon for operation IMPARTIAL BEHAVIOUR and for counterpiracy operations in the Indian Ocean. In 2017, Vice Admiral Poitou assumed command of LHD TONNERRE. During this time, he was engaged with his crew in a great variety of operational activities from humanitarian aid in St Martin and Mozambique to bilateral FR-US amphibious deployment (BELLEAU WOOD 100) in the Indian Ocean. In 2020, he assumed command of the AGENOR European naval force in Abu Dhabi to contribute to maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz (EMASOH). In 2021, he joined the Defense Policy Directorate as deputy director for International Security Affairs and was also named Ministerial Coordinator for Maritime Security.

He was appointed Deputy Commander, Allied Maritime Command, in Northwood (United Kingdom) on 1st August 2025.