Born on 7 September 1969 in Nancy, Brigadier general Lion joined the French Army Engineer Application School in 1992 as a reserve officer cadet. He commissioned into the 1st Infantry Regiment, where he served first as a training platoon leader and then as commander of an air-assault engineer platoon. After spending one year at the Artillery Application School, Brigadier general Lion joined the 15th Artillery Regiment in 1995 as a nuclear missile platoon leader and later as commander of a special weapons depot security platoon.
In 1997, Brigadier general Lion transferred to the Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) Defense Group, serving as an NBC reconnaissance platoon leader and subsequently as executive officer of the 2nd Company, which he commanded from 2001 to 2003.
From 2003 to 2006, Brigadier general Lion served as staff officer for technical and operational studies at the Directorate of Studies and Foresight (NBC Defense).
He completed the Advanced Staff Course in 2006 and continued his professional military education at France’s Joint Defense College in 2007.
From 2008 to 2009, Brigadier general Lion served as plans officer in the European Union Command Element (EUCE) at Joint Force Command Naples.
From 2009 to 2011, Brigadier general Lion headed the Operations and Training Office of the 2nd Dragoon Regiment before transferring to the French Armed Forces General Staff (EMA) as the NBC desk officer.
In 2014, Brigadier general Lion assumed command of the 2nd Dragoon Regiment.
He was subsequently posted to the Czech Republic from 2016 to 2020 as Head of the Operations Support Department at the NATO Joint CBRN Defence Centre of Excellence (JCBRN COE). Upon his return to France, he took on the role of Head of the CBRN Office at the French Armed Forces General Staff (EMA).
In 2024, he took command of the Joint CBRN Defense Training Center (CIA-NRBC) in Saumur.
Brigadier general Lion has extensive operational experience, with deployments on numerous international missions and operations, including: COOPERATIVE ASSEMBLY (Albania, 1998); TRIDENT (Kosovo, 2000); VIMY (France, 2001); HERACLES (Qatar, 2003); ALTHEA (Bosnia and Italy, 2006–2008); HARMATTAN (Libya, 2011); an OPCW mission related to Syria (2013); and a deployment as a technical expert to the Sahara region, followed by Operation TAMARIN (Guinea, 2014).
He is promoted to the rank of Brigadier general in 2026 and appointed as Deputy Chief of Staff Operations and French Senior National Representative of Eurocorps in August 2026.
Brigadier general Lion is a Knight of the Legion of Honor and an Officer of the National Order of Merit.
The Brigadier general is married and has two children.
