Bringing together under a single banner 21 defence and security research, teaching and doctrine bodies*, all based at the École Militaire in Paris, the ACADEM is officially launched on Thursday 26 October. The Minister for the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, will deliver his founding speech, while General Benoît Durieux, Chairman of the structure, will explain its objectives, before a series of round tables. Also Director of the IHEDN and Higher Military Education, this officer from the Foreign Legion also has a doctorate in history and specialises in strategy.
HOW DID THE MILITARY ACADEMY COME INTO BEING?
Its creation comes in response to a geopolitical necessity: the international situation and the changes in the strategic context make it more important than ever for us to renew our strategic thinking, feed the European and Atlantic debate and increase our capacity to influence our partners and allies.
The French political authorities have turned this observation into an impetus. In November 2022, the National Strategic Review unveiled by the President of the French Republic, established influence as the sixth strategic function. This approach has since been confirmed by the military programming law 2024-2030. The development of this new strategic function required the creation of centres of influence. And what better place than the École Militaire to centralise the influence of national strategic thinking?
There is no doubt that this Parisian location has great potential in this respect. In the heart of the capital, this prestigious site, without any real equivalent in the world, can boast major legitimacy in terms of training. The memory of Bonaparte, Foch and de Gaulle continues to float among the walls of the old school designed by Marshal de Saxe and founded by Louis XV in 1751.
Made possible in less than two years, the creation of the ACADEM is in fact the culmination of a much earlier desire. At the time of the Liberation, General de Gaulle's government planned to create a "defence academy" for the joint training of the military and civilian elite. Although this ambition was short-lived, from that time onwards the École Militaire site became the focal point for higher military education and the Institut des Hautes Études de Défense Nationale (IHEDN). This ambition was strongly reaffirmed at the start of the Fifth Republic, but the "military university" project proposed by Prime Minister Michel Debré failed, as did subsequent attempts. However, over the years, and particularly since the 1990s, a growing number of research bodies have come together at the École Militaire: the École de Guerre, doctrine centres, research institutes and chairs, and leadership training institutes. This grouping is unique in Europe.
It is for all these reasons that the Minister of the Armed Forces made the project to create the Defence Academy at the École Militaire a priority over a year ago. With the ACADEM, the aim is to take full advantage of the co-location on the same site of the various organisations, whether they are attached to the Ministry of the Armed Forces, the Ministry of the Interior, or have an interministerial vocation.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Far from being a new administrative "layer", the ACADEM is a light, federating structure dedicated solely to promoting French training, research and doctrine in the field of defence and security, through the organisation of events, seminars and forums common to the various structures it brings together.
It was therefore decided to set up a light governance structure: chaired by the General Director of Higher Military Education (DEMS) and the IHEDN, ACADEM's Secretary General is the DEMS's deputy, a Major General or Vice-Admiral. They are supported by a team that ensures that French strategic thinking is disseminated, both to the research community and to our foreign partners and allies: diplomatic, academic and communications advisors and representatives, etc.
The creation of the Defence Academy at the École Militaire in no way diminishes the functions and competencies of the organisations it brings together. They will continue to work in complete autonomy, under their own management. However, they will all participate in the organisation of the various ACADEM events, according to their respective fields of action.
In this way, ACADEM gives the École Militaire an existence in the minds, media and circles of reflection on a French, European and global scale. The Ministry of the Armed Forces and, more broadly, the State, can now make better use of the tremendous reservoir of resources represented by the École Militaire, which is establishing itself as a forum for debate and a source of international influence. It is also a natural meeting place for researchers and teachers, officers and academics, thinkers and practitioners.
WHAT ARE THE ACADEMY'S FUTURE PLANS?
We can even talk about a past event! Indeed, on 16 February this year, the "War in Ukraine: one year on, what lessons have we learned? was a forerunner of the ACADEM, in the sense that it already brought together a number of organisations from the École Militaire.
For the future, the immediate focus is on the inauguration, this Thursday, with a programme of presentations and round tables. And in just over a month's time, on 28 November, ACADEM is organising the Forces morales de la nation conference.
For the future, we are working on organising the Paris Defence and Strategy Forumscheduled for 13 and 14 March 2024. In between these events, there will be plenty of opportunities for meetings and debates, some of which will be open to the public.
This is how ACADEM is establishing itself as an international incubator for training and strategic studies.
* The 21 member organisations of ACADEM :
Académie du renseignement, Bibliothèque de l'École militaire (BEM), Centre de doctrine et d'enseignement du commandement (CDEC), Centre d'enseignement militaire supérieur air (CEMSAIR), Centre d'enseignement militaire supérieur Terre (CEMS-T), Centre d'études stratégiques de la marine (CESM), Centre d'études stratégiques aérospatiales (CESA), Centre de formation des dirigeants de la gendarmerie (CFDG), Centre de formation au management de la défense (CFMD), Centre de recherche de l'école des officiers de la gendarmerie nationale (CREOGN), Centre des hautes études militaires (CHEM), Centre interarmées de concepts, de doctrines et d'expérimentations (CICDE), Cyberdefence and Digital Sovereignty Chair of the IHEDN, Defence Economics Chair of the IHEDN, 'Defence and Security of the National Territory' Chair of the Joint Staff of the Metropolitan National Territory (EMIA-TN), Applied Air and Space Strategies" chair at CESA, Conseil général de l'armement (CGArm), École de Guerre (EdG), Institut des hautes études de défense nationale (IHEDN), Institut des hautes études du ministère de l'Intérieur (IHEMI), Institut de recherche stratégique de l'École militaire (IRSEM).
