DÉFENSE ZONE
At 35, Captain Irfan is an airman whose career is already both comprehensive and unusual. Immersed in the defence world from a very young age, he entered a military secondary school at the age of 10 and then, over the years, sat on the benches of most of the French Air and Space Force’s training schools. A “mission builder” in his capacity as an engineering officer, he has taken part in numerous operations. Défense Zone met him at Air Base 188 in Djibouti, his new posting for the past year.
An unusual career path
The son of a serviceman, Irfan followed in his father’s footsteps but took an unusual route. At the age of 10, he began his schooling at the Pupilles de l’Air secondary school in Grenoble, then obtained his baccalauréat at the Air Force technical school. He continued his military instruction with non-commissioned officer training, choosing the mechanic specialism. At the end of these two years in Rochefort, Irfan was posted to Fighter Squadron 1/4 “Dauphiné” at Air Base 116 in Luxeuil, where he worked on Mirage 2000N aircraft for four years. In 2010, he passed the officer entrance examination and was admitted to the French Air Force Academy in Salon-de-Provence. He has thus been through all the schools of the French Air and Space Force. After his imminent time at the École de guerre (war college), he will have completed a full training path, from schoolboy to senior officer!
A tour in Djibouti
Although he had been deployed on operations or short missions abroad, Irfan could not imagine his career without an accompanied posting, that is, an assignment abroad of three years on average, where the serviceman’s family can live with him. For the airman it was a “box to tick”, which he was able to cross off his list in 2021 on arriving in Djibouti. “I see my military career in terms of exchange. Here in Djibouti, as well as getting back to the Mirage 2000, which is close to my heart, I am living a family adventure”, says the married father of two. Delighted that the armed forces could give him this “opportunity”, he is making the most of the experience both professionally and personally: “in Djibouti, we are surrounded by hostile countries, granted, but we have islands that look like the Maldives!”, Irfan says happily. “I manage to really switch off even though I am always on call, unlike in France, where I sometimes find it hard to let go.” A benefit his family appreciates too.
You can find the full article in issue 6 of Défense Zone
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