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Regional Security Exercise 1
France
Wg Cdr Dave Higgins
The Regional Security Exercise to Paris began with a morning of briefs at the British Embassy covering French domestic policy, foreign policy, and defence cooperation.
The domestic brief noted the constitutional system, and how the current balance of power in the National Assembly – in which the President’s party does not enjoy a majority and relies on the support of others – is relatively unusual in the history of
the Fifth Republic. The foreign policy brief covered France’s territories and interests around the world, and its determination to remain regarded as
a great power and global actor as the economics and geopolitics of the world shift. The defence brief covered the close relationship and similar security requirements of the UK and France, progress since the Lancaster House
Treaties of 2010, and the delicate task of managing relationships following the announcement of the AUKUS pact and Australia’s cancellation of the Attack- class submarine programme.
Tuesday afternoon afforded an opportunity to tour the Hôtel des Invalides, an institution that provides long-term care for injured veterans. It occupies grand and historic buildings
in the centre of Paris, and in some respects operates in a similar manner to the Royal Hospital Chelsea. The group were particularly privileged to be given a welcome and introductory brief by
its governor, General Christophe de Saint-Chamas, before being able to observe a commissioning parade for newly-graduated officers. The same set of buildings house the Musée de l’Armée, with its impressive collection of weapons, uniforms and paintings
covering hundreds of years of French military history. They are also the home of Napoleon’s huge sarcophagus, giving the group a chance to pay their respects to France’s most famous general.
All of Wednesday was spent in Shrivenham’s equivalent, the École
de Guerre. The visitors began by commiserating the local students on having to endure staff college in grand old buildings a stone’s throw from
the Eiffel Tower, and on having no assessments on the course. Neither were considered to provide the helpful character-building qualities
of the British course. The first brief,
on international strategy, focussed on
France’s place in the world. It left an impression of a national sentiment that tends towards being proud of having territories, interests, and history all
over the world. This was followed by
an in-depth brief on the intricacies of the military procurement system, and its bias towards supporting French industry that can limit its flexibility. The briefing day concluded with a summary of current French military operations around the world.
The final day began with a cultural
visit to the Louvre, and ended with the solemn daily ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier at the base of the Arc de Triomphe, shortly before the streets of Paris erupted with the news that Morocco had become the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup. Walking through Parisian streets suddenly filled with revellers who were proud to be African, proud to be French, and saw no conflict between the two, was perhaps the most impactful, if unplanned, cultural experience of the exercise.
“The group were particularly
privileged to be given a welcome and introductory brief by its governor, General Christophe de Saint-Chamas