The French White Paper on defence and national security
National Security : A New Organisation
The implementation of the national security strategy will result in the creation of new bodies presented below :
Policy Guidance
• The Defence and National Security Council
Chaired by the President of the Republic this body is responsible for all defence and national security related matters. Specialised formations of DNSC can be convened such as the Defence Council, the National Intelligence Council and ad hoc sessions (crisis management, intelligence, nuclear issues).
• The National Intelligence Council
This is a specific formation of the Defence and National Security council which provides overall guidance, assigns objectives and priorities in intelligence matters. The National intelligence coordinator works with the President of the Republic and prepares the council’s decisions; his task is to plan the intelligence goals and assets, in particular the annual investment plan and to monitor its execution.
• The Advisory Board for Defence and National Security
This Advisory Board is composed of outside experts who provide independent analyses and assesments to the President of the Republic.
Coordination at the level of the Prime Minister
• The General Secretariat for Defence and National Security
The General Secretariat will take on the same functions as the existing SGDN extended to include the wider scope of national security in keeping with the definition in the White Paper.
• The Security of Information Systems Agency
The Agency is in charge of the implementation of a truly preventive and reactive policy in defence against cyber-attack, cyberterrorism and cyberwarfan writ large It is composed of a network of experts in security and information system observatories throughout the territory, established in defence and security zones under the authority of the competent Prefect.
• The Inter-Ministerial Coordination Committee for the fight against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats (CBRN).
This body shall reinforce the national effort in the fight against CBRN threats. The Coordination Committee is chaired by the Secretary General for Defence and National Security and shall convene regularly the senior defence and security officials of the various ministries concerned. Its task is to ensure the consistency of threat-protection capabilities and the satisfactory execution of research and equipment programmes.
• The Commission for Inter-Ministerial support to major contracts
This Commission includes both a civilian and military side and is to coordinate the action of the State in support of major projects for the export projects authorised by the Gouvernement.
• Two Poles: Defence-Foreign Affairs and Interior Security
The IHEDN (Higher Institute for National Defence) and the CHEAr (Centre for Higher Armament Studies) will be merged to create a single study and training centre. In a similar way, the “internal security” pole will be created by merging the IERSE (Institute for the Study and Research on Corporate Security) and the INHES (National Institute for Higher Studies in Security).
Crisis Management
• The Operational Centre for External Crisis Management.
This Centre will enable the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry to manage foreign crises on an operational and inter-ministerial basis regardless of the nature of such crises.
• The Inter-Ministerial Crisis Management Centre
Located within the Ministry of the Interior in Paris, this Centre will provide the Minister of the Interior with a reinforced central inter-ministerial crisis management capability for internal crises. This new centre will allow for operations involving police, Gendarmerie and civil security forces in the event of a major crisis. It will also benefit from associating all the ministries concerned by the crisis (such as health or transportation) in the same building each ministry being able to manage its own networks in constant coordination with the other State agencies.
• The European Civil Protection Operational Centre
France supports the setting up of this centre which goes far beyond information sharing between European Union member states to become a higher echelon in the preparedness and operational management of European Civil protection intervention.
• The National Call Centre
During a crisis the call centre is to provide general and targeted information to the population about the cause of the event, and to answer questions and soothe concerns using expert advice when necessary.
The Ministry of Defence
• The Joint Forces Space Command
This Command will be under the authority of the Chief of Joint Staff. Space operations and programmes come under his responsibility. In particular he is in charge of drafting the space operation doctrine. He monitors the action of the Air Force in its extended authority in the management of space assets.
• The Ministerial Committee on Defence Investments
This Committee under the chairmanship of the Minister of Defence will examine the operational requirements that must be satisfied but also the financial and economic information relating to the most important investments within the Ministry before they are launched: risk control strategy, forecasted procurement and total ownership costs, overall financial feasibility, procurement strategy (acquisition, public-private partnership or service contracts), support policy, potential equipment export. It will contribute to a better control of procurement costs.
• Finance Committee of the Ministry of Defence
Chaired by the Secretary General for the Administration or by the Director of financial affairs, this committee will make it possible to strenghter consultation and interaction between the ministries of Defence and Budget. In this Committee financial data relating to the military programmes is to be scrutinized and a more regular follow-up of the Ministry of Defence’s investment policy will be implemented by the Ministry of the Budget.
The Ministry of the Interior
• The Central Interior Intelligence Directorate
It will take other the missions carried out at present by the DST (Directorate for the Security of the Territory) and those of the Renseignements généraux (General Intelligence Directorate) which relate directly to national security. There will therefore be one single intelligence agency dealing with internal security.
• Prospective and Strategy Delegation
This delegation will reinforce the means available to the Ministry of the Interior for forecasting and appraising every form of medium-term threat that might impact internal security and for preparing the most appropriate response by mobilising the competent departments.
• Planning Directorate
Under the authority of the Secretariat General of the Ministry, this Directorate will be in charge of planning territorial protection, the protection of civilians, information system security, territorial economic intelligence and managing the defence and security zones. It will also be in charge of contingency planning as regards public order and civil emergencies. It is to coordinate the contribution of the Ministry of the Interior in the drafting of anti-terrorism protection plans.
• The Committee of Defence and Security zone Prefects
This Committee will be chaired by the Minister of the Interior and is to meet regularly with the seven defence and security zone Prefects. The secretariat of this committee will be provided by the Planning Directorate of the Ministry.
• The European Survey and Coordination Centre for Anti-narcotics in the Mediterranean.
France supports the creation of such a body at European scale thereby building on the experiment already gathered through the West Indies and Portugal operations centres.
• A service Specialised in the fight against the Financing of illegal activities.
This service will be created by the Minister in charge of the Budget and will review and monitor proliferation and terrorism on the model of the American Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
• The Economic and Scientific Security Council
This Council will provide a forum where dialogue can take place between the various bodies involved in internal security. Chaired by the Minister of the Interior, it will include the main research bodies, security operators, technical solution industry suppliers and the representatives of the Ministries of the Defence and Research.
Training
• The Intelligence Academy
This Academy will develop a basic training course common to all services and agencies, sanctioned by a diploma.
• The Joint National Training Centre (civilian and military) in the fight against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.(CBRN)
This will enable the development of a shared culture and working methods in the highly sensitive and complex field of the fight against the CBRN threats.
• An Inter-disciplinarian University pole for research in social sciences in security and defence.
It will address all issues related to military matters, from warfare to the new forms of violence in the contemporary world. This pole is to take on the form of a Research and Scientific Cooperation Foundation and support the European Doctoral School for research on defence and security issues.
Networking
• An Inter-Ministerial Prospective Network
This will link various Directorates in charge of strategy and prospective studies within the Ministry of the Interior (Prospective and Strategy Directorate), of the Ministry of the Defence (Strategic Affairs Directorate), the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, (Policy planning staff), and the Secretariat of State in charge of prospective, evaluation of public policies and the development of the digital economy (Centre for Strategic Analysis); this network will set up a website.
• An Inter-Ministerial Network of Spokespersons
This network will be composed of crisis communications specialists who will meet and exchange in order to improve crises management and communication capabilities and be ready on call as necessary.
Public Information Websites
• A website for public awareness-raising to the new risks and for the preparation for novel, serious events which could impact the national territory.
• A website for prevention and response to cyber attacks.
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