Thomas Chaboud at the Helm of the BRF Jacques Chevallier
Frigate Captain Thomas Chaboud has taken command of the force replenishment vessel Jacques Chevallier in Toulon.
Frigate Captain Thomas Chaboud took command of the force replenishment vessel (BRF) Jacques Chevallier, succeeding Captain Christophe Gaume.
The change of command ceremony was held on July 16 in Toulon. It was presided over by Vice-Admiral Pierre de Briançon, Chief of Staff of the Force d'Action Navale.
This assumption of command formalizes the replacement of Captain (CV) Christophe Gaume, whose command was marked by the rise in power of this new-generation unit.
CLEMENCEAU 25 AND LAFAYETTE 26
The two years of Captain Christophe Gaume at the helm of the Jacques Chevallier were particularly rich. His mandate began with the vessel's entry into active service on November 21, 2024.
Very quickly, the BRF was deployed at the heart of carrier strike group operations, participating in two major missions: CLEMENCEAU 25 in the Indo-Pacific zone, up to the South China Sea, and LA FAYETTE 26, in a crisis context in the Near and Middle East.
During these deployments, the crew carried out 220 replenishments at sea (RAM), including 29 for the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and 52 for allied navy vessels, demonstrating its full interoperability.
The Jacques Chevallier also distinguished itself through decisive actions, such as the rescue of a diver in distress off Porquerolles and the seizure of more than two tons of narcotics on a dhow in the Gulf of Aden.
Another notable success: obtaining the CONSOL qualification, which authorizes the ship to be replenished at sea itself by tankers of the American Military Sealift Command. The Jacques Chevallier is the first European replenishment vessel to achieve this high level of certification.
Since September 18, 2025, the vessel has also been sponsored by the city of Bandol.
ACCOMPLISHED SAILOR
Originally from Paimpol in Northern Brittany, Frigate Captain Thomas Chaboud is a man shaped by the sea. Son of a sailor and an experienced regatta racer, he joined the Marine nationale in 1996 through the École de Maistrance.
He followed the navigator path before entering the officer corps in 2009 through the École militaire de la Flotte. His career has been mostly focused on shipboard assignments, notably aboard the frigate Georges Leygues, the patrol vessel Commandant Ducuing, the frigate Surcouf, and the amphibious helicopter carrier Mistral.
CF Chaboud also served as a maneuvering instructor at the École navale and has already held command at sea twice, on the tug-replenishment vessel Taape and then on the metropolitan support and assistance vessel Loire.
A certified harbor pilot for Toulon and a graduate of the 31st class of the École de guerre, he arrives from the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, where he served for two years as a maneuver officer during the CLEMENCEAU 25 and LA FAYETTE 26 missions.
Married and the father of seven children, he has completed thirty years of service dedicated to operations and takes the reins of a vessel he closely interacted with during his recent missions.
Photo Marine nationale.