Reflections on Austerlitz, a legendary battle for 220 years
Napoleon I's resounding victory at the «Battle of the Three Emperors» on 2 December 1805 is still studied and discussed today. Through the analyses of strategists of the past and the insights of contemporary historians, the IHEDN details the reasons for and extent of this lasting legacy.
IGA Patrick Aufort: «Strengthening an agile defence industry capable of ramping up production quickly»
At the Defence Innovation Forum (FID), held from 27 to 29 November, General Engineer Patrick Aufort, Director of the Defence Innovation Agency (AID), explains to IHEDN the agency's missions and trends in the sector: drones, AI, directed energy weapons, quantum technology, hypervelocity, etc.
Sophia Mahroug: in Iran, «the Revolutionary Guards are seeking to free themselves from clerical authority».»
On the occasion of the IHEDN 2025 Science Awards, we interview the winner of the thesis prize, a historian whose work based on digital sources sheds new light on the rise to power of the «pasdaran», the pillars of the Islamic Republic for over four decades.
Straits of Singapore and Malacca: an ongoing battle against piracy
Sea robbery is a major issue in this corridor, which is crucial to world trade. On the occasion of its next International Session for the Indo-Pacific (SIIP), the IHEDN takes stock of the situation and international cooperation on the ground with Commander Xavier Courbey and researcher Éric Frécon.
The European Space Agency, a crucial civilian player in defence and resilience
In the run-up to its tri-annual Council of Ministers, we take a look at the Paris-based international organisation, its civil and military activities, such as the Galileo satellite constellation, and its ambitious resilience programme, which will be put to the 23 Member States at the end of November.
General Baratz: "With or without AI, the military leader will remain responsible for his actions".
Lieutenant General Bruno Baratz, Commander of Future Combat, details the many implications of artificial intelligence for the French Army, particularly in the chain of command: the place of human analysis, responsibility, reliability, adversity, the question of energy in the field... A long interview.
Defence and risk prevention: the challenge of resilience
To mark National Resilience Day, we take a closer look at the growing inclusion of resilience in these sectors that are crucial to the country's security, with insights from Cédric Bourillet, Director General of Risk Prevention, and Sylviane Bourguet, Senior Civil Servant for Sustainable Development and Director of Territories, Property and the Environment at the Ministry of the Armed Forces.
France's EEZ: how to secure its vastness?
France has the second largest exclusive economic zone on the planet, covering all the oceans. How is it protecting its rights there, against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions and growing climate challenges? Find the answers in a joint interview with Vice-Admiral (2S) Jean Hausermann, head of the Maritime Issues and Strategies major at IHEDN, and academic Virginie Saliou, researcher at IRSEM.
Open data: when tracking sites reveal strategic moves
In recent years, flight tracking, navigation and even running applications have enabled the general public to keep track of important diplomatic or military movements. Governments are now taking this into account.
Marlène Laruelle: "Younger generations are no longer spontaneously inclined towards liberalism".
To mark the International Day of Democracy, French academic Marlène Laruelle, who has directed "The Oxford Handbook of Illiberalismin an interview with the IHEDN, analyses this fast-growing ideology and the way it has evolved into "illiberal democracy".
