Search on Ifri.org

About Ifri

Frequent searches

Suggestions

Penser son ennemi. Modélisations de l'adversaire dans les forces armées

Studies
|
Date de publication
|
Référence taxonomie collections
Focus Stratégique
Image de couverture de la publication
couv_focus82_page_1.jpg
Accroche

The designation of an enemy is always the result of a political decision, which generally leads to the opening of hostilities. 

Corps analyses

If the enemy is the result of a political choice, it is though a military necessity for armed forces which have to carry out an analysis of the enemy at each level of analysis, be it strategic, operational or tactical. The military leader thus has a special bond with “his” enemy, taking him into account through his intelligence system in the unique context of his mission. If the fundamental principles of enemy study recur in most armies, differences in methods of analysis and modeling persist, even within NATO countries, showing the diversity of how to address an adversary. These traditional approaches could however soon be challenged by innovations in military intelligence and applications of artificial intelligence.

 

 

This content is available in French: Penser son ennemi. Modélisations de l'adversaire dans les forces armées.

 

 

Decoration

Available in:

ISBN / ISSN

978-2-36567-899-5

Share

Image principale
 A soldier watching a sunset on an armored infantry fighting vehicle
Security Studies Center
Accroche centre

Heir to a tradition dating back to the founding of Ifri, the Security Studies Center provides public and private decision-makers as well as the general public with the keys to understanding power relations and contemporary modes of conflict as well as those to come. Through its positioning at the juncture of politics and operations, the credibility of its civil-military team and the wide distribution of its publications in French and English, the Center for Security Studies constitutes in the French landscape of think tanks a unique center of research and influence on the national and international defense debate.

Image principale

Mapping the MilTech War: Eight Lessons from Ukraine’s Battlefield

Date de publication
12 February 2026
Accroche

This report maps out the evolution of key technologies that have emerged or developed in the last 4 years of the war in Ukraine. Its goal is to derive the lessons the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) could learn to strengthen its defensive capabilities and prepare for modern war, which is large-scale and conventional in nature.

Élie TENENBAUM Bohdan KOSTIUK Daryna-Maryna PATIUK Anastasya SHAPOCHKINA
Image principale

"Iron Swords" A Military Analysis of Israel's War in Gaza

Date de publication
02 October 2025
Accroche

On October 7, 2023, Hamas' attack, dubbed “Al-Aqsa Flood,” caused a major shock and led Israel to launch the longest war in its history. Operation “Iron Swords” was notable for its unprecedented intensity, both in terms of the massive ground forces deployed and the firepower used.

Image principale

Saudi Arabia’s Nuclear Temptations. Lessons Learned from Regional Instability

Date de publication
11 September 2025
Accroche

Saudi Arabia’s integration in the international arena and regional stability, notably through reducing its dependence on fossil energies, are crucial elements for the success of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, the Crown Prince’s top priority. However, Mohammed bin Salman’s declarations in 2018 and 2021, indicating that “if Iran develops a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible”, combined with the recent strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities, do not bode well for the future of the Kingdom, the region and the non-proliferation regime at large.

Nour EID
Image principale

The Future of Air Superiority. Command of the Air in High Intensity Warfare

Date de publication
24 January 2025
Accroche

Air superiority, understood as control of the air, is a cornerstone of the Western art of warfare. It is a decisive condition, albeit not sufficient by itself, to achieve military victory, as it enables the concentration of air power toward the achievement of wider strategic objectives and protects other components from unbearable attrition levels. It is best achieved through the offensive use of air power in a joint effort to neutralize the enemy’s air power.

Related Subjects

How can this study be cited?

Image de couverture de la publication
couv_focus82_page_1.jpg
Penser son ennemi. Modélisations de l'adversaire dans les forces armées, from Ifri by
Copy