Rear Admiral Jean Mendoua

Rear-Admiral MENDOUA Jean was born on the 23^rd of December 1956 at Ebolowa, South Region of Cameroon. After an outstanding Primary and Secondary level education, he passed the GCE “A Level” in science at the Government High School Leclerc in Yaoundé. He later began his higher education at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Yaoundé. He interrupted his University studies when he was admitted in 1977 into the French Naval Academy in Brest.  
In 1985, this initial training was supplemented at the Marines  Academy  of Lorient, France, where he obtained the diploma of Marines Commando Officer. He later received Special Forces training in Israel, where he qualified as a counter terrorist Commando and as a Sharpshooter Instructor.

In 1991, he studied in the Airborne School of Pau, France, and graduated with the Paratrooper Certificate   and the Airborne Troops Proficiency Certificate. This strong  training foundation and further refresher courses enabled him to pursue an enviable career both with the Navy and in the Presidential Guard.

He began his career in the Navy, serving as a navigator on various patrol boats and then as commanding officer. In 1984, he was assigned to the Protection Regiment of the capital city, Yaoundé. He later participated, in collaboration with a selected group of officers, in the setting up of the new Presidential Guard after the dissolution of the Republican Guard.

Within the newly created Guard, he climbed the rungs of the hierarchical ladder. He held the following positions: Commander of the Intervention Company, Head of Intelligence Bureau, Head of Operations Bureau, Commander of the Training Centre and Chief of Staff of the Presidential Guard.

In 2001, he was appointed Commanding officer of the Presidential Guard. He took active part in the creation of BIR DELTA (Rapid Intervention Battalion, maritime component), tasked with combating criminal acts at sea. He served as the acting commander of this unit in 2011, cumulatively with his duties as the Commanding officer of the Presidential Guard, until his promotion to the rank of Rear-Admiral and his appointment as Chief of the Naval Staff on the 11^th of March 2011, a position he currently holds.

He participated respectively during the 13^th and the 15^th editions of the Forum on the African Continent in 2012 and 2014 at the National Defence Institute of Higher Studies, Paris, France.


Rear-Admiral MENDOUA Jean holds several national and foreign decorations. He is married and a father of many children.