Martial Foucault: «Globalisation is increasingly perceived as an area of rivalry».»
At a time when «states are pursuing strategic objectives using economic instruments», Martial Foucault, a political economy researcher and Director of the Strategic Research Institute at the École Militaire, puts the spotlight back on the notion of ’militarised interdependence« or the »weaponisation of globalisation«. Interview.
Raoul Castex: an admiral strategist at the heart of the spirit of defence
To mark the 90e As the IHEDN celebrates its 400th anniversary and the French Navy celebrates its 400th anniversary, we look back at the life of Admiral Raoul Castex (1878-1968), founder of the Institute. An exceptional sailor and major military theorist, he was able to impose a global vision of strategy that still informs our thinking today.
General Schill: «The identity of each regiment is nurtured by its local roots».»
In the aftermath of the municipal elections, Army General Pierre Schill, Chief of Staff of the French Army, describes the close links that this institution maintains with the many territories in which it is based and the close cooperation between the various units and the regional sessions of the IHEDN. Interview.
90 years of IHEDN exhibition
To mark the Institute's 90th anniversary, this exhibition retraces the history of the IHEDN since it was founded in 1936.
A unique forum for meetings and dialogue between the nation's driving forces, both in France and internationally, the Institute has gradually opened up to civil society in order to work towards building a shared defence culture. For nine decades, it has pursued a singular mission: to train citizens from diverse backgrounds to better understand crises and threats, in the interests of national cohesion and resilience.
Sylvie Bermann: «In diplomacy, France often has a knock-on effect».»
From 2020 to 2026, French Ambassador Sylvie Bermann chaired the IHEDN Board of Directors. In this long interview, the former plenipotentiary in Beijing, London and Moscow looks back at the changing geopolitical context over these years and the way in which the Institute has adapted to it.
General Bonnemaison: cyberspace «a field of operations in its own right»
Lieutenant General Aymeric Bonnemaison, Director of Defence Intelligence and Security, analyses the far-reaching changes in counter-intelligence in the digital age: changing threats, hybridisation of opposing modes of action, the rise of cyber and the proliferation of both state and non-state actors. Interview.
Advanced nuclear deterrence, France's response to the new global context
On 2 March 2026, the French President renewed the guidelines for French defence strategy in a long-awaited speech on nuclear deterrence. In an international context marked by chronic instability and the return of power politics, this speech marks a turning point for national and European sovereignty. We take a closer look.
Invasion of Ukraine, four years on
To analyse the high-intensity conflict triggered by Russia on 24 February 2022, the IHEDN's special report includes an interview with the Director of the École de guerre on the state of the forces involved, and two articles on the use of drones and hybrid threats, with insights from military personnel, researchers and practitioners.
Hybrid threats: four years of acceleration and response
Since Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, hybrid interference has been on the increase, targeting the vulnerabilities of European states in order to weaken their cohesion. Three specialists in the subject shed light on the aims and forms of these attacks, and on the responses put in place in France and Europe.
Ukraine-Russia: when drone warfare redefines the battlefield
In the space of four years, drones have taken on major importance in this conflict, to the extent that several thousand are now used every day by both belligerents. Three experts talk to IHEDN about the different uses, the impact and the lessons to be learned for Western armies.
