Page 95 - The Light Dragoon 2024

The Regimental Journal of The Light Dragoons
French ACSC - Ecole de Guerre (Sleeping with the (old) Enemy!)
1. Paris, the city of light and the French War College. ACSC in France runs in a similar fashion to that in the UK and is given as an option next to Advanced Staff Training (AST) in the US, Australia, and Germany. The course is by far the largest, with well over 300 students that hail from all three French services as well as the Gendarmes. There are 90 foreigners, 5 of whom are British, and we are the largest representation of foreigners on the course; there are 4 Americans by comparison. For the French, Ecole de Guerre is very much the pinnacle of their careers to date and carries with it a special status amongst their Services. Partly because two of their most revered alumni are Napoleon and le General Charles de Gaulle. Discuss!
2. Throughout the course there is near continuous reference to ‘les Britanniques’, mostly very positive, which in each context gives an indication of how the French use the British as a point of reference. It is significant given the French view of their pivotal role in Europe and on the world stage. They strive to seek a balance between intense national pride and primacy of French foreign policy, with the absolute necessity for professional competence for working in alliances – perhaps ultimately for influence rather than pure altruism. Nevertheless, given the current global context there is no doubt that they privilege strong relationships with ‘Les Anglosaxons’. As long as neither we, nor the US, are commanding them on any large scale.
The French have a very philosophical approach to learning and LOVE a debate almost as much as their lunch breaks – which are sacrosanct. On the one hand this is terrific, but on the other, means that course programming steals multiple evenings and it is common to have 90 minutes of lectures ‘sans’ break, with an upper record of 4 hours. This gives an indication of an element of rigidity and presenteeism in their culture. The course is however very well resourced, and the esprit de corps is strong, with plenty of clubs ranging from hunting, to wine tasting (of course) and to rugby. With the latter, I am the only Brit on the team and the banter during the Rugby World Cup was unsurprisingly revealing. Almost every opponent
to the English Team was supported, so it was incredibly satisfying when the English made it further in the tournament. The 6 Nations will be interesting.
Ecole de Guerre
The people and culture are very similar, but clearly not the same. The national stereoptypes and clichés play through on all sides. Of course, from a British perspective it is hard not to make reference to the many times over 1,000 years where we have bested them. There are some no-go areas; anything said against Joan of Arc, for example, is heresy. Equally, they maintain a historic view that they conquered us and therefore we are ultimately French... notwithstanding that Guillaume le Conquérant was Norse, a fact that is conveniently forgotten by them. For a highly informative historical synopsis and amusing read I commend “A 1,000 Years of Annoying the
French” to those that have not read it.
The relationship with the Embassy is strong, with routine briefings by the DA and his team on the multiple global developments ranging from Ukraine, to the 7 Oct Hamas attacks and its aftermath, to the situation in the Red Sea. In addition, we were able to
participate in the State visit of His Majesty the King, which was widely hailed a success on both sides of the English Channel. This year, 2024, is now focussing on the 120th Anniversary of the Entente Cordiale and the D Day 80th balanced against the greater French focus of the Olympics. This includes an example of French opportunism by doubling the metro fees in the run up to and during the Games. That said, the underlying message is to reinforce the relationship between us and the French, and it is reciprocated,
mostly.
Overall, a terrific experience with our oldest enemy and ally, an international relationship
second only to the US. Adios!
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