Armies’ doctrines of engagement are constantly evolving in line with experience in the field.
Security and Defense
The relative simplicity of the Cold War has given way to a series of crises and conflicts involving heterogeneous actors and unpredictable situations. Today, security studies require an integrated approach that takes into account both regional and global dimensions, as well as political trends (coalitions, pressure from the media, strategic rivalries and limited wars) and military dynamics (nuclear and conventional capabilities, reduced force structures, types and methods of intervention).
Since the 1990s, Ifri’s Security Studies Center has stimulated debate and contributed to the improvement of strategic thinking in France through its conferences and widely read publications (in French and English). The Center also works on behalf of public and private policymakers through briefs and closed-door seminars.
Ifri's Security Studies Center analyzes traditional defense issues as well as the evolution of the broader field of security. The Center’s programs are designed to be enduring and cross disciplinary, and are conducted with the help of other Ifri research units. Through its innovative work, the Center has two objectives: influencing a wide public with its publications – in particular its two electronic paper series “Focus stratégique” and “Proliferation Papers” – and making recommendations to all the actors involved in public security. Accordingly, various reports and projects are realized on behalf of the Ministries of Defense, the Interior and Foreign Affairs.
Research Fellow, Director of Ifri's Security Studies Center
...Military Fellow, Security Studies Center
...Research Fellow, Security Studies Center
...Research Fellow, Head of the Defense Research Unit - LRD, Security Studies Center
...Research Fellow, Security Studies Center
...Deputy Director of Ifri, Editor-in-Chief of Politique étrangère, and research fellow at the Security Studies Center
...Military fellow within the Defense Research Unit of IfriI’s Center for Security Studies.
...Associate Research Fellow, Security Studies Center
...Advisor, Security Studies Center
...Associate Research Fellow, Security Studies Center
...In recent years, South Korea’s ascent in the global arms market has been remarkable. This surge, particularly amid a shifting geopolitical landscape and the ongoing Ukraine-Russia War, has captured the attention of security watchers worldwide.
France is a seafaring nation. The stability of its national economy, trade, and security are inextricably linked to the maritime character of international trade.
The FCAS (Future Combat Air System) and the MGCS (Main Ground Combat System) represent the latest chapter in a more than seven decades-long history of Franco-German defense co-operation.
The technical and operational capabilities of naval nuclear propulsion - discretion, power, autonomy and manoeuvrability - make this technology a strategic asset for nuclear deterrence.
As US-China rivalry reaches its peak and the likelihood of a high-intensity conflict in the region seems greater than ever, this report advocates for a pragmatic recalibration of France’s strategic posture in the Indo-Pacific. This adjustment should be grounded in a realistic reframing of...
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, marked a turning point in German defense policy. After thirty years of military downsizing, the Bundeswehr found itself at an extremely low capability level just as a high-intensity war involving a great power was breaking out on Europe’s...
The new French Military Programming Law for 2024-2030 resolutely commits the French armed forces to the path of high intensity. However, this term continues to be the subject of debate and confusion within the defense community.
With a rapidly deteriorating security environment, a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, internal disputes exploding into public view, and questions being raised about the scope of its security responsibilities, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) seemed to be in dire straits at the...
Hybrid Threats – Tasks and Challenges for the Intelligence Community Brown Bag Seminar Series
Ifri is pleased to announce the fourth conference in our intelligence series, in partnership with the Intelligence College in Europe, the purpose of which is to analyze the threat landscape through the eyes of senior officials from various European countries.
A Threat Assessment from Spain: the Sahel and Beyond Brown Bag Seminar Series
Ifri is pleased to announce the third conference in our intelligence series, in partnership with the Intelligence College in Europe, the purpose of which is to analyze the threat landscape through the eyes of senior officials from various European countries.
Paris Naval Conference 2024: The Evolving Role of the Carrier Strike Group Hybrid conference
This second edition of the Paris Naval Conference, bringing together high-level speakers from France, the UK, the USA, Italy and India, and organized by Ifri and the French Navy, aims to redefine the role of CSGs in a changing strategic context, particularly in terms of the future threats it...
Franco-British Cooperation in the Light of the War in Ukraine Cross-Channel Strategic Dialogue
As the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine shattered the security of Europe, a new sense of cohesion has spread throughout Western nations.
Accession to NATO, war in Ukraine: what are the new security challenges for Sweden and Finland? Open access conference (hybrid format)
A conference with Esa Pulkkinen, Permanent Secretary of the Finnish Ministry of Defense, and Peter Sandwall, State Secretary to the Swedish Minister of Defense.
4x4 Directors Forum 2023 African-European Think Tank Dialogue
The Policy Center for the New South (PCNS) and the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri) are organizing the fifth edition of the 4x4 Directors Forum on February 1-2, 2023, in Rabat, Morocco.
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Paris Naval Conference: The Return of Naval Combat Hybrid Conference
A conference organized by Ifri and the French Navy. The world has entered a new strategic cycle, characterized by the assertion of new powers eager to revise the international order, the predominance of unilateralism, and the increased risk of confrontation between States.
Ukraine: the epicenter of all crises? Ifri Conferences
Russia's invasion of Ukraine last February provoked a war of attrition that is still ongoing. In the meantime, the conflict has fueled intertwined economic, humanitarian, energy and food crises. This discussion aims to discern the conflict's immediate and future effects.
Toward a New European Security Order? Foreign Policy Shifts in Response to Russia’s War on Ukraine Ifri Conferences
Russia’s war on Ukraine has shaken the foundations of Western foreign policy and the multilateral rules-based order. Institutions built to preserve this order – like NATO, the G7, and the EU – have had to rethink their threat assessments and postures. France, Germany, Italy, and the UK have...
NATO: What to Expect from the New Strategic Concept? Open access conference (hybrid format)
A conference with Benedetta Berti, head of Policy Planning in the Office of the Secretary General at NATO.
From Jordan to Lebanon to the Red Sea, attacks on U.S. and European interests are increasing.Tensions are rising in the Middle East after Washington vowed to respond to the drone attack that killed three American soldiers on the 28th of January, sponsored by Iranian-backed militants.
This second edition of the Paris Naval Conference, bringing together high-level speakers from France, the UK, the USA, Italy and India, and organized by Ifri and the French Navy, aimed to redefine the role of CSGs in a changing strategic context, particularly in terms of the future threats it...
In a polarized France, President Emmanuel Macron must navigate the conflict in a way that doesn’t further inflame the public or advantage his political rivals.
France plays a major role in Europe as one of the leading nations of the European Union, plus being a founding member of NATO and a key Ally. Nevertheless French governments have often been critical of the Alliance through the years.
France may send Ukraine its AMX-10Ps, an amphibious infantry fighting vehicle that was phased out of service by the French army nearly a decade ago.
Training and equipping of Ukrainian forces is an immediate priority.
As Emmanuel Macron prepares to welcome Rishi Sunak to Paris, hopes are high that the first UK-France summit since 2018 will turn the page on years of strained post-Brexit relations.
President Emmanuel Macron kicks off a tour of Central Africa on Wednesday in a diplomatic drive to test out a new "responsible relationship" with the continent as anti-French sentiment runs high in some former colonies
A conference with Esa Pulkkinen, Permanent Secretary of the Finnish Ministry of Defense, and Peter Sandwall, State Secretary to the Swedish Minister of Defense, held at Ifri on February 9, 2023.
The heads of the three leading NATO navies, the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Admiral Mike Gilday, First Sea Lord, Admiral Ben Key, and the Chief of Staff of the French Navy, Admiral Pierre Vandier, met last week in France for the first ever "Paris Naval Conference".