Since 1er August, Lieutenant General Hervé de Courrèges has taken over as Director of the Institut des hautes études de défense nationale and Higher Military Education, as well as President of the Defence Academy of the École militaire (ACADEM). He previously commanded the Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan military academy. Trained at Saint-Cyr and SUPELEC, General de Courrèges comes from the armoured cavalry and served mainly in mountain troops.
His career led him to serve in Lebanon, Chad, Afghanistan and Côte d'Ivoire, commanding various units such as the 4e regiment of chasseurs and the 27e mountain infantry brigade, but also to exercise responsibilities within the central administration and in cabinets. In this interview, he outlines his career path before developing his vision for the IHEDN, its auditors, the ACADEM and their partners.
HOW DID YOUR BACKGROUND PREPARE YOU TO TAKE OVER AS DIRECTOR OF THE IHEDN?
Looking back over my thirty-six year military career, I have the feeling that my recent appointment as head of the IHEDN is perfectly in line with my professional career, for reasons of experience, knowledge and interest.
Experience first of all, because it is the basis of credibility when talking about serious subjects such as war and its corollaries. A third of my career has been spent in the armed forces in a command position, with various commitments to overseas operations, which have given me the opportunity to see at first hand the effects of human violence and the clash of wills.
Secondly, in terms of knowledge, because the second third of my career led me to serve in the central administration and then above all in cabinets at ministerial and prime ministerial level and then in the service of the Presidency of the Republic. Following on from the field experience mentioned above, it was during these years that I gained a better understanding of the vast concept of national defence and the need to involve a wide range of players from the State and civil society.
Lastly, I have a keen interest, as my last third of my time was spent in training organisations, either to be trained there or to train there. So, after my last three years commanding the Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan military academy, which trains the army's 2,000 young officers, here I am at the other end of the generational spectrum, now in charge of training a more experienced population. The level will not be the same, but my enthusiasm remains intact. Passing on and helping people to grow are among the finest missions you can be entrusted with in the course of a lifetime.
WHAT DOES THE NOTION OF NATIONAL DEFENCE MEAN TO YOU IN 2024?
National defence is an ambitious and ancient idea that gradually crystallised over the course of the 20th century.e century. Its latest development in 2008 was the emergence of the concept of national security, which aims to "counter risks and threats that could affect the life of the nation". Since 2009, the IHEDN has been tasked with developing a spirit of defence and raising awareness of international issues.
In order to embrace these evolving concepts as broadly as possible and adapt them to current times, my predecessor, General Benoît Durieux, focused the Institute's activities on four concentric circles in response to different risks: at the heart lies military defence, which is then extended to national defence and national security, to finally embrace the perimeter of international security. I can fully identify with this didactic presentation, which provides a framework for our thinking and our training.
WHAT ARE THE PRIORITY ACTIONS YOU INTEND TO TAKE DURING YOUR TERM OF OFFICE?
First of all, I believe that my actions are fully in line with those of my predecessors, to whom I pay tribute because they were able to regularly develop our training courses to adapt them to a constantly changing world. With this continuity in mind, I intend to focus my efforts in three directions.
My first concern is for the IHEDN itself in terms of its training offer and its internal operations. Our training courses and our influence must maintain the quality expected by our auditors, our associations and our partners. Our internal operations, which have been streamlined considerably in recent years, must continue to improve performance and efficiency.
My second priority is the ambitious Defence Academy at the École Militaire. This federates the twenty or so organisations located on our site, whose remit covers research, doctrine, training and teaching activities. The aim is to make this place a major player in French and European strategic thinking, to strengthen the synergies between its members and to make the most of its exceptional architectural heritage. The undeniable success of the Paris Defence and Strategy Forum held last spring is testament to ACADEM's tremendous potential. Working together pays off!
"IHEDN IS EXTREMELY FORTUNATE TO BENEFIT FROM A VERY RICH NETWORK".
Finally, I will be focusing my efforts on the wider world of our partners beyond the walls of the École Militaire. There are many of them in Paris, in the regions and overseas.
In particular, IHEDN is extremely fortunate to benefit from a very rich and active network of partners and associations that keep the spirit of defence alive in the territories, with a particular focus on young people.
So I wish all our listeners a great start to the new school year. national session and the regional session PACA who start their training this week. The resumption of training will continue in October with the cycle in Economic and Strategic Intelligence in Bordeaux on youth cycle in the Paris region, as well as various international sessions.
