Episode Summary: The ties between the French Air Force and U.S. Air Force go back to the dawn of aviation and have been intertwined ever since: from early Wright Brothers flights, the Lafayette Escadrille, World War II, operations in Afghanistan, and so much more. Today, this relationship is more important than ever given the challenges facing our respective nations. Brigadier General Pierre Gaudillière, Commander of the French Air Combat Command, joins us to explore how France views the current security environment through an airpower lens. Credits: Host: Heather &quot;Lucky&quot; Penney, Director of Research, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Producer: Shane Thin Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey Guest: Brig. Gen. Houston &quot;Slider&quot; Cantwell, USAF (Ret.), Senior Resident Fellow for Airpower Studies, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Guest: Brig. Gen. Pierre Gaudillière, Commander, French Air Combat Command Links: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3GbA5Of Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MitchellStudies Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mitchell.Institute.Aerospace LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nzBisb Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchellstudies/ #MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #Allies #France #AirForce

Allied Airpower Perspectives: Brig Gen Pierre Gaudillière, Commander of the French Air Combat Command — Ep. 294

The Aerospace Advantage

# Full Transcript

**Podcast:** The Aerospace Advantage

## Participants

- **Heather "Lucky" Penney** (The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies)
- **Pierre Gaudillière** (French Air Combat Command)
- **Houston "Slider" Cantwell** (USAF (Ret.))

## Transcript

Welcome to the Aerospace Advantage podcast brought to you by PenFed. I'm your host, Heather Lucky-Penney. Here on the Aerospace Advantage, we speak with leaders in the DoD, industry and other subject matter experts to explore the intersection of strategy, operational concepts, technology and policy when it comes to air and space power. This week, it's our honor to welcome Brigadier General Pierre Gaudillière, Commander of the French Air Combat Command.

From some of the earliest flights of the Wright brothers, the Lafayette Escadrille, supporting the Free French in World War II and so many other events, the ties between the French and U.S. Air Forces go back to the dawn of aviation and touch upon almost every key chapter together in one way or another. So today, as fellow leaders within the NATO alliance, this relationship is more important than ever. So sir, welcome to DC and welcome to our podcast.

I'm thrilled to be here. Thank you so much, Lucky, and such a beautiful venue and a distinguished panel. Thank you for having me. No, thank you. And also joining us for today's conversation is retired Brigadier General Houston Cantwell Slider. It's always great to have you with us. Hey, Lucky. Thanks a lot. So, sir, General Goodyear, I reviewed some of the historic highlights, but when you look at the relationship between the U.S. Air Force and the French Air Force, what are some of the things that come to your mind?

First thing that comes to my mind is that I wish we could have flown in Marquis de Lafayette 250 years ago because it took him seven weeks of sailing to come and join the Continental Army in 1777.

But there is, in fact, a connection between this very particular figure, Marquis de Lafayette, and the bond between our air forces, being the escadrille Lafayette that originated in the First World War.

And actually, if you look at some of the paintings in the Pentagon, paying tribute to a famous American airman, you will notice that one of the first of them has a French uniform, and he belonged to the Lafayette squadron or escadrille. And it takes its roots in the American Revolution, and then it converges in the First World War. And those links are very vivid still today.

So that's, for me, it's really the origin. And then we fought side by side in the First World War, Second World War, and in numerous operations from then. So, yeah, it's more than a link. It's a bond. Yeah, and Lucky, I'd like to pile on there. I'm really honored. Personally, I've got a lot of ties to the French throughout my flying career in the F-16.

Number one, when I was deployed to Afghanistan flying combat out of Bagram, one of our priorities was to handle the troops in contact events. And while I was f...

Allied Airpower Perspectives: Brig Gen Pierre Gaudillière, Commander of the French Air Combat Command — Ep. 294

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Allied Airpower Perspectives: Brig Gen Pierre Gaudillière, Commander of the French Air Combat Command — Ep. 294

Transcript

Built for investment professionals

Every day you wait, your competitors are findingedge in conversations you're not hearing.

Every day you wait, your competitors are finding
edge in conversations you're not hearing.