On Tuesday 10 May, the 227th session of the Ile-de-France region organised by the Institut des hautes études de défense nationale began at the Bergerie nationale in Rambouillet. Raphaël Baratin, General Secretary of the Bergerie nationale, welcomed the participants and the session was opened by Jean-Michel Delvert, Sub-Prefect, Head of the Regional and Specialised Activities Department of the IHEDN, representing General Benoît Durieux, Director of the IHEDN.
The first day marked the start of a four-week training programme focusing on defence issues, both in the Paris region and in Brest, the nerve centre of the navy's deterrent system.
The four weeks will be punctuated by visits to military sites, defence industries and crisis management centres, as well as lectures by high-level speakers, such as Ambassador Sylvain Berger, diplomatic adviser and head of the IHEDN's Europe and International Affairs Department, who gave a talk on the very first day. The committee work will provide an opportunity for genuine exchanges between the 41 auditors, who come from a wide range of professional backgrounds.
