Contenu du sommaire : Armement et économie de défense

Procurement of the particular equipment needed by Special Forces remains a complex procedure because of the often rigid and ill-adapted administrative procedures; this is more than ever apparent where innovative start-ups are involved in equipment provision. There is an urgent need to improve the effectiveness of French procurement procedures, especially where we have to respond to distinct operational requirements.

A climate of innovation has to be established within the Ministry of Defence, drawing inspiration from new processes that come from the technological community of the Internet. There is also a need for impetus to make open innovation become part of defence culture.

The French armaments industry has a number of major advantages, yet looking ahead to 2030, and given our unstable world, it would seem sensible to create new frameworks for cooperation. These would allow us to capitalise on our competences and also to expand our markets particularly into Asia-such as with Japan and Korea-and perhaps with Russia, too.

Connected equipment is today a matter of fact. Use of this technology for the forces will soon in its own way be a matter of fact, too, even though progress has yet to be made in the field of cyber-security. The armed forces should keep a close eye on this highly innovative sector and build upon a network of dynamic SMEs and start-ups.

The digital revolution has brought with it what is often referred to as uberisation of conventional economic models. Despite the principles of uberisation seeming out of phase with those of the traditional defence environment, the latter could benefit from this boost to innovation. Somewhere between the extremes of ‘uberising' and doing nothing there lie opportunities that merit study.

The French defence technical and industrial base offers major advantages to the country's defence and its economy. Nevertheless, there is a need to look for opportunities for growth, in particular through exports. This has to be done by better organisation of what is on offer and by offering high quality comprehensive services in the face of ever-more effective competition.

Water is a rare commodity and a source of instability in the Indian sub-continent. Management of it is highly complex for many reasons, which include the political organisation of India, which limits the authority of the central power. Rivalry between neighbouring states does little to ease the establishment of an effective water resource management policy.

North Korea is subject to a policy of strict economic sanctions which, it seems, are not stopping the regime from pushing ahead with its military programmes, and in particular the nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Since such sanctions appear to be strengthening the mentality of a country under siege, they are having little of the desired effect.

The Milipol Paris exhibition is the meeting place for professionals of the world of internal security. This twentieth edition is as important as ever, and calls upon renowned French experience in the field in an era of high-level terrorist threat.

With 2035 as its horizon, the Air Force has to prepare for the future by considering tomorrow's demands, in which innovation, complementarity, connectivity and hybridisation will be necessary. Future strategic balances highlight the need for a broad aeronautical capability that is diversified and effective and, moreover, capable of permanent adaptation.

Sea space plays a major role in the globalisation of trade by easing transit and reducing costs. Hand-in-hand with that comes an increase in the number of threats, notably among which is organised crime. Security of our territories therefore begins at sea and demands a wide-reaching solution.

Industry is confronted with an economic war that it has to win in order to progress. To win requires numerous capabilities, which include influence gained through a detailed understanding of clients'needs. Such action is essential today in this field of conflict.

The issue of news and information generally, and of its truthfulness, has become central to how our society functions. The media are increasingly called into question, and authority and expertise are challenged by public opinion that uses social networks which have neither limits nor filters. How, then, can we distinguish good information from bad?

Erdogan's Turkey is challenging the foundations set in place by Atatürk, which began in the nineteen-twenties. It is looking to re-establish an anti-Western, Ottoman and Muslim identity through declaring that democratic culture has not taken root over the long term in Turkish public opinion.

With colonial empires consigned to history, and with the end of a world divided into two antagonistic blocks, we see the appearance of new powers that, in the absence of military empires, are looking to create zones of influence and power. They bring with them the risk of rekindling historical antagonism, particularly in the Levant.

The definition of hybrid threats is a sensitive matter, and suffers from semantic differences between NATO and European Union approaches to the issue. For all that, common terminology and common doctrine will have to be adopted if we are to respond effectively to a potential crisis.