Contenu du sommaire : La Fabrique Défense

Strategic research requires competences and professional experience, and therefore a regular turnover of researchers. Since its creation, the Military school's Institute for strategic research (Institut de recherche stratégique de l'École Militaire—IRSEM) has directly contributed to creating the conditions for development of French-oriented war studies through its long-term activity and its links with the academic world.

Climate change is upon us and is acting in several regions of the globe to destabilise peace and security. Hence the need for the multi-disciplinary strategic thinking conducted with students at the Institute for higher national defence studies (Institut des hautes études de défense nationale—IHEDN), which brings together experts from many backgrounds and offers different perspectives. A great challenge for the twenty-first century stands before us.

The armed forces' ministry employs civilian personnel who play a major role in the correct functioning of the forces. There is a recruitment need of some 4,000 posts annually, and the competences sought cover a wide range in order to renew and maintain capabilities. This human resource is a great advantage for our defence.

The Directorate for national service and youth (Direction du service national et de la jeunesse —DSNJ) is fully committed to digital innovation, and draws on collaborative projects that are simple in their design and straightforward in their application. The abundance of ideas has led to proposed projects that respond to the expectations of today's youth that is both interested and diverse in its aspirations.

The armed forces and the entire forces' ministry are committed to a major digital transformation process that affects all areas, including the operational. This requires a significant change in culture for all concerned and poses a challenge for human resources in order to prepare for the future.

The French atomic energy commission's Directorate of military applications (Direction des applications militaires—DAM) is a major player in research in France and controls a significant amount of assets. It recruits highly motivated personnel who have the advantage of a positive environment with long-term projects that serve peace and our country.

The association Les Jeunes (those under 35 years old) of the Institute for higher national defence studies (Institut des hautes études de défense nationale—IHEDN) will soon be celebrating 25 years of activity. The association is today growing and pursuing diversification energetically in the service of defence and citizenship, and emphasises the value of commitment for the common good. The Jeunes of the IHEDN consider themselves innovators for better preparation of the future.

Training of aircrew is highly demanding, requiring perseverance and excellence at levels which must be continually improved. The recent entry into service of the PC-21 aircraft represents a major leap forward in technological quality. As well as acquiring knowhow, students must learn soft skills, for which the instructors play a decisive role.

Military air transport is a good illustration of the advance made towards stronger European defence. For a decade the European Air Transport Command has progressed with common work in the operational domain and the future Franco-German unit, to be equipped with the C-130J, should mark a new step in this direction.

Training a Gendarmerie officer is not undertaken lightly: it is part of a process that takes into account the entire complexity of the profession in a rapidly-changing environment. Due attention is given not only to professional competence but also to soft skills.

The Directorate of intelligence and defence security (Direction du renseignement et de la sécurité de la défense—DRSD) is the current incarnation of a service created after the defeat of 1870. The service focuses on protecting defence interests when faced with interference operations led by foreign powers or organisations that threaten our security. The many varied missions of the DRSD offer dynamic careers.

Intelligence generates a vast amount of data that needs to be handled. The development of the intelligence wargaming workshop called Battle Lab Rens (BLR) will allow new data handling solutions to be considered and will also train those who man the systems. BLR is based on Serious Games and is sure to see its role enhanced over time.

In just a few years' time, maritime airborne drones will become operational and will increase the capabilities of the vessels on which they are to be embarked. The airborne drone system for the navy (Système de drone aérien pour la marine—SDAM) is now a major project for the French Navy that will be developed from a mature vehicle and be fitted with high-performance sensors. A demonstrator is planned for 2021.

The forces' medical service provides medical support for all the armed forces, the gendarmerie included, both at home and on operations. It possesses a range of competences unequalled in France and its personnel are qualified, motivated, proud to serve and ready for deployment.

Analysis of the command chain in the fight against Daesh shows a high degree of trust and delegation between strategic and operational levels. Thus micro-management of the tactical level by the higher echelon was avoided, and as a result each player had the freedom to be more effective at his particular hierarchical level.

Having once committed its forces to the struggle against terrorism, the Pentagon has decided to review its doctrine which, given the new challenges posed by Russia and China, seems somewhat obsolete. The mosaic warfare concept should offer a new, more effective and realistic approach through drawing on the many resources of the digital world.

The soon to be established Red team arrangements for work in the innovation agency will be an opportunity to open up new avenues of thinking for defence of the future. That will also mean a change of culture and an ability to analyse and criticise.

The B-2 stealth bomber resulted from a US development programme of flying wings. Originally designed to strike the USSR, the B-2's missions have since been broadened and it should remain in service until 2050, supported by successive modernisations, thereafter being replaced by the B-21.

The year 2019 saw a world that had lost direction, one in which multi-polarity was no longer a stability factor. Indeed, the very opposite was seen with the return of power and force ratios. Therein lies the interest of different analyses.

The mobilisation of September 1939 was organised in the same way as that of August 1914, thereby ignoring the very lessons learned in that autumn of 1914—in particular the disruption caused to defence industry by the workforce having parted to join military units. The consequences were dramatic despite the effort made to correct the errors committed at the beginning of the phoney war.