Rear Admiral Duncan Potts
Operation Commander EU Naval Force
The Operation Commander commands the operation from the Operational Headquarters (OHQ) at Northwood, United Kingdom. There he plans and conducts the operation in conjunction with the political and military authorities of the European Union.
Rear Admiral Duncan L. Potts
was born in Malta in 1961 and was educated at Wellington School, Somerset before joining the Navy in 1979. After initial training at Britannia Royal Naval College, and at sea, he studied Systems and Management at the City University, London. Returning to sea in 1983, he served as the Navigating Officer of HMS BILDESTON and BRILLIANT.
Qualifying as a Principal Warfare Officer (Underwater) in 1988, he served in HMSs AMBUSCADE and NORFOLK, on exchange with the United States Navy in Norfolk, Virginia and on the Staff of the Commander United Kingdom Task Group (COMUKTG)/ Commander Anti-Submarine Warfare Strike Force.
On Promotion to Commander in 1996 he assumed command of HMS BRILLIANT, to oversee her sale to Brazil, and then commanded HMS SOUTHAMPTON during which he deployed to the Gulf. In 1998 he was appointed to the Policy and Programmes Cell at the Permanent Joint Headquarters (UK) before becoming Commander Sea Training to Flag Officer Sea Training. On promotion to Captain in 2000 he commanded HMS MARLBOROUGH and the 4th Frigate Squadron; he once again deployed to the Middle East.
Subsequently, he spent 4 years in the Ministry of Defence. Initially as Captain Navy Plans, responsible for the size and structure of the Royal Navy, and latterly as the MA to the Vice Chief of Defence Staff. On promotion to Commodore in 2007 he was appointed COMUKTG, during which time he deployed to Iraq as CTF 158, responsible for security in the Northern Gulf. He was appointed ACOS J5 at PJHQ in January 2009.
On promotion to Rear Admiral in January 2011, he became Commander UK Maritime Force the UK’s contingent 2 Star Maritime Component Commander, during which time he served as the MCC for NATO Reaction Force 16. More recently, in July 2011 he took on the duties of Rear Admiral Surface Ships and in August 2011 he assumed Command of the EUNAVFOR counter piracy Operation ATALANTA.
Duncan is married to Pamela and has two children. He is a graduate of the Higher Command and Staff Course and Royal College of Defence Studies, is a fellow of the Windsor Leadership Trust and a Younger Brother of Trinity House.
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Rear Admiral Rainer Endres
Deputy Operation Commander EU Naval Force
Rear Admiral Rainer Endres
Rear Admiral Rainer Endres was born on May 30th, 1957 in Prim, a small town in Germany close to the border with Belgium and Luxembourg. He joined the Navy in 1977.
Having completed his officers education including a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering at the Armed Forces University in Munich, he served as Weapons and Operations Officer on board antisubmarine ships and later as Commanding Officer of FGS THETIS. From 1989 to 1992 he was appointed as Principle Warfare Officer on the Destroyer LUTJENS and later as Personal Assistant to Commander 1st Destroyer Squadron.
Rear Admiral Endres attended the 34th Admiral-Staff Course at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College of the Bundeswehr in Hamburg. On completion of the course he served at the Federal Armed Forces Staff, Ministry of Defence Bonn, as Military Assistant to the Director Federal Armed Forces Operations Center.
In 1996 he was assigned Executive Officer of Destroyer ROMMEL which he then commanded from 1997. After his time in Command he took responsibility as Personnel Manager at the Naval Branch of the Armed Forces Personnel Office in Cologne.
In 2003 he attended the 102nd Senior Officers Course at the NATO Defence College in Rome and in September he assumed command of the 2nd Frigate Squadron based in Wilhelmshaven. From August 2005 Rear Admiral Endres was appointed to NATO HQ CC Mar Naples as Division Head N5/9, responsible for Policy, Plans & Concept, Military Cooperation and CIMIC.
He returned to the MOD in Bonn in June 2007 as Chief Navy Branch at the Personnel, Social Services and Central Affairs Directorate. Rear Admiral Endres assumed his position as Director Naval Development, Training and Education at the German Naval Office in Rostock in March 2010.
Rear Admiral Endres is married to Evelyn and they have two sons.
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Rear Admiral Jean-Baptiste Dupuis
Force Commander EU Naval Force
The Force Commander exercises command and control of all military forces in the Joint Operation Area. He is responsible for the planning, orchestration and execution of military activities.
Rear-Admiral Jean-Baptiste Dupuis
Born in Caen, on the 29th of June, 1961, Rear Admiral Jean-Baptiste Dupuis is married and is the father of four children.
After joining the French Naval Academy in 1981, he specialised in “anti-submarine warfare”.
Afterwards, he served on several frigates and patrollers based in Brest, Nouméa and Toulon for eight years.
In 1993, he was assigned to the Toulon’s navy staff to work as operational expert on the development of the French sonar. A few years ago, in 1997, he was appointed as officer in charge of the acquisition of all ASW equipment of the Navy in Paris.
In 1998, Commander Dupuis attended the one-year course of the Defence Joint College of the Military School in Paris. Then, he joined the French Naval Academy as headmaster until 2001, before being assigned Executive officer of the frigate Latouche-Tréville. He took part in a fourmonth deployment with the French CVN Charles de Gaulle in the Indian Ocean, during operation Enduring Freedom.
Promoted to Captain in 2002, he was assigned Creil’s French Joint Force Headquarters as chief of Information Management Cell for one year and took over the command of the frigate Tourville. It was his third ship command after the school-ship Lion in 1986 and Détroyat in 1996.
In June 2005, he left her to join the Navy Headquarters in Paris where he led the office in charge of controlling military human resources. Then, he was auditor of the 58th session of the Centre des hautes études militaires and of the 61st session of the Institut des hautes etudes de la défense nationale.
He has been appointed Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Inspection in Paris. Because of that,he went to various areas of operations.
In June 2011, he joined the High Readiness Force Maritime Headquarters as Deputy. On August 24th, he assumed the command of Task Force 473, French deployment for Operation Unified Protector. He was promoted to Rear Admiral on the 1st of September, 2011.
The 7th of April 2012, Rear Admiral Dupuis takes the operational command of Task Force 465, European Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) deployment in Operation Atalanta against Piracy off Somalia.