From the Cockpit to NATO Command: General Philippe Lavigne on Defense, Tech, and Strategic Investment
General Philippe Lavigne, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation and a key member of the Luminova Ventures Advisory Board, shares his unique perspective on the critical intersection of defense, technology, and strategic investment.
Which experiences from your military background do you find most valuable in the technology and investment world?
My experience provides value from three key angles. First, as a fighter pilot in the French Air Force, I was operating at the absolute cutting edge of aerospace technology. That gives you a fundamental feel for what is technologically possible.
Second, as a manager in the defense planning process, I stood at the crossroads of military requirements, the technology needed to fulfill them, and the financial world—both industry and institutional investors. You learn to translate strategic needs into tangible technological and financial demands.
And finally, in my role as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation, my job was to define future defense planning, integrate innovation faster, and apply strategic foresight to the technologies that will shape our future.
You have served in multiple countries and held senior positions within NATO. What have these experiences taught you about cooperation across cultures and nations?
Above all, these experiences taught me that diversity is a profound strength.
True cooperation, of course, requires diplomacy and time—it's not an instant process. But the resulting bond you build is far stronger than the mere sum of its parts. At the same time, to truly win as a team, that cooperation demands complete interoperability.
Which technologies do you believe have the greatest potential to evolve from the defense sector into civilian applications?
You know, today the dynamic is actually the reverse. It is the civilian sector that is providing the greatest technological potential to the defense sector.
What the defense sector does bring is a different, often battle-proven, way of using that technology. We don't have to look far: the war in Ukraine, with its unprecedented use of autonomous systems, is a clear example of this.
How does decision-making in the military differ from decision-making in business? And what lessons can entrepreneurs learn from the military approach to leadership?
In the military, we place a far greater emphasis on anticipation and strategic foresight. We rely heavily on scenario building and wargaming to present the best possible options to leadership.
And, of course, there is relentless training to enable a rapid reaction when a scenario becomes reality.
The lesson for entrepreneurs? It's that rigor in preparation, the ability to think through multiple scenarios, and the discipline to react with both speed and consideration.
Based on your knowledge, what security or technological challenges do you see as key for the next 5–10 years? And where do new startups have the best chance to succeed?
On the security front, the key challenges are the "desinhibition" of violence—the growing willingness to use force—and the need for true national resilience, which critically includes protecting our information environment.
Technologically, the greatest challenge and opportunity lies in the convergence of AI, biotechnology, and quantum.
Where do startups have the best chance? Unequivocally, it's where they can combine several of these Emerging Disruptive Technologies (EDTs) to fulfill a specific military requirement. I also see immense potential in vertical integration—the ability for a startup to control more of its value chain.
Looking back, how have your experiences in the military and NATO shaped you as a person?
It shaped me around three core principles. First, the deep conviction that cooperation is strength—whether between the civilian and military sectors, public and private, or in international partnerships.
Second, the necessity to not only know your competitor, but to first know yourself.
And third, the awareness that you must constantly maintain your edge. And there is only one way to do that: train hard, both individually and as a team.
