After studying major maritime issues in Paris, Toulon is the stop-off point for the 'Maritime' major. Challenges and strategyémaritime gies "of the IHEDN national session
At the beginning of October, a first strategic module was held in Paris for the 250 students attending the national session of the IHEDN, which included a speech by the Prime Minister and then the Prime Minister of France. Prefect Denis RobinSecretary General for the Sea. Those in the 'Maritime issues and strategies' major were also able to debate with Admiral Pierre VandierChief of the Naval Staff, and Frédéric Moncany de Saint-AignanChairman of Cluster French maritime policy, the major challenges of defence and security at sea, and the major prospects for the blue economy.  Â
With the state's highest authorities having set the scene for major maritime issues, the listeners then set sail for Toulon, the Mediterranean's largest military port, where they made a stopover on 19 and 20 November 2021.
On Friday morning, the auditors were welcomed by Rear-Admiral Roux de Luze, representing Vice-Admiral Gilles Boidevezi, Commander of the Mediterranean Maritime Zone and Maritime Prefect for the Mediterranean.
Captain Pascal Forissier then presented the audience with France's major strategic challenges in the Mediterranean, a particularly sensitive maritime area affected by major crises and threats: the Arab revolutions, the civil war in Syria, tensions in Ukraine, terrorism, trafficking in arms, drugs and human beings, rivalries over the exploitation of gas deposits in the western Mediterranean, etc.
They then met the key players in naval aviation operations: Vice-Admiral Xavier Baudouard, Commander of the Naval Action Force, Rear-Admiral Roux de Luze, Deputy Operations Officer to the Commander-in-Chief, and Captain Jean-Marc Pochon, Chief of Staff of the Naval Aviation Maritime Force. They were able to discover the very high technological level of the navy's resources - surface ships, submarines and aircraft - as well as the expertise and high motivation of the sailors who operate them. But they also had a close-up look at the difficulties encountered in maintaining equipment in operational condition, and in recruiting and retaining high-quality sailors in a context of increasing operational pressure and heavy demands on crews.
The afternoon was devoted to government action at sea, and began with a visit to the CROSS Mediterranean (CROSSMED), where the auditors were welcomed by Chief Maritime Affairs Officers Stéphane Péron, Deputy Interregional Director for the Mediterranean Sea (DIRM) and Philippe Michaud, Director of the CROSS.
The auditors were impressed by the operations room, and were able to see for themselves the exceptional efficiency of this interministerial organisation.
Commander Olivier Drevon, deputy director of CROSS, explained to the audience how the operations centre works.
This synergy and the unanimous satisfaction with the coordination exercised by the Maritime Prefect were once again evident during the discussions on the State Action at Sea (AEM) with Navy Chief Inspector Thierry Duchesne, AEM deputy to the Maritime Prefect. The auditors discovered the complicity and spirit of interministerial cooperation of all the players in this system, who benefit from an exemplary synergy of State resources.
The series of lectures and round tables culminated in a dive into the abyss with a talk by Arnaud Schaumasse, Director of the Department of Underwater and Subaquatic Archaeological Research (DRASSM). He shared with them his passion for the riches hidden in the wrecks of the "world's largest museum" which, in addition to their exceptional cultural and historical interest, can represent real strategic and geopolitical stakes.
But the auditors will remember above all the richness and frankness of their discussions with the highest authorities of the French Navy in Toulon and the other administrations they met, who gave them precious time to reflect with them on the major challenges they face and the ways in which they are tackling them.
The following morning, visits to the amphibious helicopter carrier Mistral by its executive officer, Captain Jocelyn Delrieu, and to the nuclear attack submarine Rubis by Lieutenant-Commander Benjamin Dotti, its deputy commander for navigation, and the anti-submarine warfare officer, Lieutenant Matthieu de Norbécourt, provided an opportunity to take a more practical look at the concepts and theories discussed the previous day. But above all, it was an opportunity for the audience to meet young, enthusiastic and particularly competent sailors who were able to share with them their passion for a demanding profession, carried out under severe constraints in a sometimes difficult and confined environment.
On Saturday afternoon, before returning to their rooms, their heads full of excitement, the auditors returned to their committee work and the foresight method taught at the IHEDN, which encourages creativity and imagination, sparking numerous debates among the auditors.
