After an intensive start to the European Security Perspectives Field Study in Berlin and London, Senior Course 123 travelled to Paris.
On Monday 7th October, Course Members assembled for a day of national briefings at the École militaire, which was the original home of the NATO Defense College from 1951 until the move to Rome in 1966.
Major General Jean Maurin, Deputy Chief of the International Relations Department of the Chief of Staff, opened the morning session with warm words of welcome to SC 123. In his initial remarks, he underlined that France supports NATO’s Smart Defence and Connected Forces Initiatives in order to enhance capabilities.
Rear Admiral Patrick Chevallereau, Director of the International Organizations Department and an Ancien of SC 101, gave a French perspective on NATO, starting with a historical overview of French-NATO relations. He explained that independence and sovereignty have always been, and will remain, the key concepts in this relationship.
Captain (N) Laurent Isnard, Commander in Chief of the Planning Centre for the Conduct of Operations (CPCO), briefed the Senior Course on current military operations. He described ongoing operations in Mali, including the initial lessons learned.
The last speaker of the day was Major General (ret.) Maurice De Langlois, Director of European & Transatlantic Security at the Military Academy’s Institute for Strategic Research (IRSEM), who identified the relevant features in the new French White Paper on Defence and Security, due to be adopted soon by the National Assembly.
In the afternoon, SC 123 left Paris for the next leg of the Field Study, Lisbon.
NDC Public Affairs Office
Collège de Défense de l'OTAN 
