Damien Tocquer, commander of the offshore patrol vessel Commandant Bouan

Command ceremonies are a highlight for the units of the Marine nationale and their crews, who must "obey him in everything he commands them for the good of the service, the execution of military regulations, the observance of laws, and the success of the arms of France." Thus, contre-amiral Pierre-Yves Grente, organic deputy in Toulon to the admiral commanding the Force d'action navale, formally recognized capitaine de corvette (CC) Damien Tocquer as commander of the offshore patrol vessel (PHM) Commandant Bouan, succeeding capitaine de corvette (CC) Aude Bray. During the twelve months of command of CC Aude Bray, the sailors of the Commandant Bouan participated in a permanent maritime security posture (PPSM) mission, individual and collective training, and a CORYMBE mission from January 29 to April 5.

OPERATIONS BARKHANE AND CHAMMAL

Capitaine de corvette Damien Tocquer was born on November 18, 1989, in Rennes. He joined the Marine nationale by entering the 2010 class of the École navale. At the end of his training, he chose to join the surface forces and specialized as a detector officer. Posted in 2014 to the patrol vessel La Moqueuse in Nouméa, he served as operations officer, then as executive officer. He participated in fisheries patrol missions as well as several humanitarian assistance operations in Vanuatu and then in Fidji. In 2016, he was assigned as head of the Lutte au-dessus de la surface department aboard the La Fayette-type frigate (FLF) Courbet based in Toulon. He participated successively in operations BARKHANE, SOPHIA, and CHAMMAL in the Méditerranée, before being deployed for the JEANNE D'ARC 2017 mission in the Pacifique. In 2018, he took command of the training ship (BE) Chacal, in Brest. He spent around one hundred days at sea with his ship for training and approach surveillance missions. In 2019, he attended the Principal Warfare Officer course in Portsmouth, Royaume-Uni, as part of a bilateral exchange with the Royal Navy. Top of his class, he was appointed as head of the Weapons department aboard the British air defense frigate HMS Dragon before serving there as deputy operations officer. Returning to France in 2022, he joined the nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle as deputy and then head of the Lutte au-dessus de la surface department. He participated in the ANTARES 2023 and AKILA 2024 missions as the aircraft carrier's operations officer and the carrier strike group's anti-surface warfare officer. Capitaine de corvette Damien Tocquer is in a civil partnership and has a young daughter.