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The French White Paper on defence and national security

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The Defence and National Security Council

A Defence and National Security Council will be created as a consequence of the adoption of the strategy which makes national security the federating and mobilising objective of government action. Its field of competence includes all the public policy issues involved in the areas of defence and national security where the President of the Republic’s powers are defined in the Constitution.

The Defence and National Security Council is composed of the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Defence, the Minister of the Economy and the Minister of the Budget. Other Ministers may be convened depending on the subjects discussed; for example, the Minister of Justice for the fight against terrorism, the Minister of Health for the prevention of sanitary crises. The secretariat will be provided by the General Secretariat for Defence and National Security (SGDSN). Specialised groups may be convened:

- The National Intelligence Council (CNR) ; - A restricted Council for issues related to foreign operations and for certain issues related to nuclear deterrence.

The Advisory Board for Defence and National Security. An Advisory Board for Defence and National Security shall be created. It will be composed of independent experts appointed by the president of the Republic and can call on Senior Civil Service experts. The Board will submit opinions and assessments for the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister. The various political, financial, operational and international dimensions shall be the subject of contradictory debate and the options will be presented for final decision.

National Intelligence Council

The National Intelligence Council (CNR) sets forth the major orientations assigned to the Intelligence services (strategies and priorities), conducts planning for human and technical resources, and examines the evolution of the legal framework governing intelligence operations.

The CNR is chaired by the President of the Republic and meets in plenary session with the Prime Minister, the Ministers of the Interior, Defence, Foreign and European Affairs, Economy and the Budget and in certain circumstances other Ministers depending on the subject discussed, as well as the national intelligence coordinator and the general secretary for Defence and national Security who provides the secretariat during meetings. The Council may meet in restricted format.

National Intelligence Coordinator As designated point of contact for the Intelligence Services with the President of the Republic, the Coordinator supervises the planning of the intelligence objectives and assets and their implementation. He prepares the decisions of the National Intelligence Council and monitors their implementation. He chairs periodic meetings of the Directors of the intelligence services in order to set forth priorities for intelligence collection and to address requests from the intelligence community. He chairs the Inter-Ministerial Committees for the orientation of intelligence related technical investments.