Very high altitude, an area of innovation awaiting regulation
(Re)discovered by the general public since the neutralisation of the "Chinese balloons", this zone between air and space opens up immense prospects and raises many questions, which the French Air Force and Space Agency addressed at a symposium packed with information.
CDT Alexandre: "At very high altitude, we're going to see the emergence of competition and contestation.
The issue of "very high altitude" came back into the spotlight with the neutralisation of "Chinese balloons" in American airspace in February. Major Alexandre, head of the aerospace power division at the French Air Force's Centre for Strategic Aerospace Studies (CESA), explains what is at stake in this area, which has become a hotbed of confrontation.
European defence finally on track
After long decades of construction, recent years have seen the Union's defence and security policy get off the ground in a number of areas, notably on the maritime front, which IHEDN auditors are studying this week.
Ludovic Schultz: "The agreement reached at the United Nations on 4 March is doubly historic.
After 15 years of discussions and negotiations, the Member States of the United Nations have agreed on an International Treaty for the Protection of the High Seas. Ludovic Schultz, an auditor at the IHEDN and recently appointed Director of the Écrins National Park, was involved in drafting the treaty for many years, first as deputy director at the Ministry for Ecological Transition and then as adviser to the Secretary General for the Sea. He sheds some light on this historic agreement.
High seas: behind the international treaty,
a national defence strategy
The UN has just announced a "historic" agreement on biodiversity on the high seas. This is an opportunity to take stock of an increasingly contested area, and France's strategy for defending its maritime zones.
Not far from Ukraine, the other European issue in the Balkans
To mark the 3e International session on the Balkans and South-East Europe (SIB), focusing on this border region that has long been affected by conflict and is increasingly integrated into the EU.
GBR Ortemann: "I never wanted to be dictated to.
Men are no more predisposed than women to take an interest in defence and national security issues. To mark International Women's Day on 8 March, Brigadier General Anne-Cécile Ortemann answered our questions.
War in Ukraine: a year of strategic lessons
A number of specialists gave an initial assessment of the conflict at a conference at the École Militaire. Strategy, land, cyber, space, NATO... a selection of their analyses of the return of high-intensity warfare to Europe.
At a time of war in Ukraine, can we still speak of a "Franco-German couple"?
To avoid the possibility of the end of the Franco-German relationship, the French and Germans must not take for granted the results achieved by the post-war generation, but continue to maintain and develop a relationship that is essential for both countries. This is what the IHEDN and its German counterpart, the Bundesakademie für Sicherheit.
War in Ukraine: Europe's response
24 February 2022, Russia invades Ukraine. The world awoke to images of bombed cities. According to the European Union, the red lines have been crossed. The Russian offensive is one of the most serious violations of international law in decades. How have the 27 member states organised their response to an event that has already shaken the world order?
