After being graduated from Ecole Polytechnique, Major General Philippe Adam joined the French Air Force in 1988.
As a fighter pilot on Mirage 2000C, he was engaged in several operations in Balkans and Middle East.

Qualifying as a test pilot in 1996, he was assigned to the French Flight Test Centre, becoming Chief Test Pilot in 1999.

After one tour in the Air Force Staff, he took command in 2008 of the Istres Air Base.

In 2011, after attending the US National War College, he joined the NATO International Military Staff as Deputy Chief of the “Air and Ballistic Missile Defence” Branch. In 2013, he was appointed deputy director of the Euro-Atlantic branch at the Delegation for Strategic Affairs.

In 2015, he took command of the National Air Operation Centre. Promoted to Brigadier General in 2017, he became chief of the Air Operation Brigade and Joint Force Air Component Commander of Barkhane Operation. In 2018, he was appointed deputy Joint Force Commander of the Barkhane Operation, in Chad.
After one year as French Air Warfare Centre commander, he was appointed in 2020 as "Future Capabilities" division head in the Joint Staff.

In 2022, he was appointed as French Space Commander.