On the first day of the course, the 45 students were welcomed by Jean-Marie Caillaud, Prefect of Oise, who wished them every success in the weeks ahead. The session was officially opened by Brigadier General Hugues de Roquemaurel, deputy to the Director of the Regional and Specialised Activities Department and representing the Director of the IHEDN, Lieutenant General Hervé de Courrèges. He was followed by Major General Anne-Cécile Ortemann, Military Governor of Lille and General Officer of the North Defence and Security Zone, before a detailed presentation of the programme by the IHEDN teams.
The day was structured around a panorama of the contemporary world presented by Dr Guillaume Lasconjarias, and a presentation of Defence and its institutions by the session director, Major General François Goguenheim. The day ended with a sequence of committee work, each group benefiting from the involvement of members of the Nord regional associations for this first session.
Through these exchanges, the IHEDN is reaffirming its mission: to disseminate and promote the spirit of defence, a fundamental pillar of national cohesion, throughout the Republic.
The second week of training, held in a boarding school in Soissons, was devoted to the theme of "Knowledge of the armed forces and the defence system". It was structured around a series of lectures on major strategic issues: the challenges of space and cyber, the evolution of armed forces, European defence, the army of the future, and the adaptation of forces to a constantly changing conflict environment. A round table was also devoted to the issue of disinformation.
The week included two key visits: the Caverne du Dragon, for a memorial highlight, and the Centre d'entraînement aux actions en zone urbaine (CENZUB), which offered participants a hands-on immersion in the heart of soldiers' operational training.
The third week in Dunkerque focused on the theme of «international cooperation and conflict», with the students reflecting on France's nuclear deterrent and the latest developments in the Russian-Ukrainian and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. They visited Eurotunnel, the autonomous port of Dunkerque and EDF's Gravelines nuclear power station, before finishing with a day dedicated to government action at sea.
To conclude these four weeks of training, the auditors went to Lille for a week focused on the theme of «crisis management and regional challenges» around the issues of security and rearmament, with visits to the departmental Gendarmerie group, ONERA - The French Aerospace Lab and Dassault Aviation.
Congratulations to the auditors for their commitment and the richness of their discussions throughout this 242nd regional session!
