ABERDEEN, Md. -- Separated by the Atlantic Ocean and more than 4,000 miles, the U.S. and France have been allies for many years. In addition to battling together during WW I and II, the countries remain close on key projects that support Soldiers today.
As the French liaison officer to the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command since December 2016, Lt. Col. Jean-Philippe Millet, fosters communication between the French procurement agency, also known as the Direction generale de l'armement (that includes R&D), and RDECOM.
"The best part of my job is developing new relationships," said Millet. "The tricky part is identifying an area of interest to the U.S. and France where both countries align in terms of strategic priorities and technology readiness level."
Millet recently moved to RDECOM headquarters, after working with Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) since his arrival in the U.S. in 2014. He began his career in France in 1998 at the Centre d'Electronique de l'Armement (part of DGA), which is dedicated to information technologies and electronic warfare. As a spectrum and electromagnetic compatibility engineer, he was in charge of studies and tests involving various radio frequency systems. He was also in charge of ensuring the French geostationary military satellites operated correctly. Some of his other positions include radio spectrum manager at the international level and
chief of branch in telecommunications.
In France, DGA provides acquisition for all of the French military branches, including the Army, Air Force and Navy. For example, if one of the French services needs to purchase equipment, then the DGA writes the technical requirements based on the operational needs. From there, the requirement moves through the acquisition process.
One of the projects Millet is currently working on is Mobile Ad-Hoc Networking, which will ensure interoperability between French and American radios. MANET is a collection of wireless nodes that can dynamically form a network to exchange information, eliminating the need for a pre-existing network infrastructure.
"I have been working with CERDEC on standard interfaces that will allow the U.S. and French radios to communicate, such as the MANET," said Millet. "Hopefully one day, the radios will be able to communicate without the MANET gateway."
As an acquisition officer and engineer, Millet works closely with operational forces in order to stay connected to the operational world. Unlike U.S. Soldiers and officers who deploy throughout their careers, French acquisition officers do not deploy.
Millet's assignment with RDECOM will end this summer, and he plans to do more traveling in the U.S. with his family before they head back to France. Millet and his family have visited close to 30 national parks in the U.S., including Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Grand Canyon, Bryce, Arches and Yosemite.
"You have a wonderful country with great national parks that we appreciate," said Millet. "I will definitely miss the parks, but I will may not miss your food!" said Millet.
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The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command has the mission to provide innovative research, development and engineering to produce capabilities that provide decisive overmatch to the Army against the complexities of the current and future operating environments in support of the Joint warfighter and the nation. RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.
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