It is a half-hearted thirtieth anniversary that the military intelligence directorate (DRM) is preparing to celebrate behind closed doors on June 16. Whereas, until now and since its creation, on June 16, 1992, in the aftermath of the war in Iraq, the service had acquired its letters of nobility above all by concentrating on counter-terrorism, the Ukrainian conflict forced it to a sudden shift in effort. A situation that has generated great tension, particularly around the confidence to be granted to American intelligence, to the point of leading to the ousting, at the end of March, of the director of the said DRM, General Eric Vidaud.
This June 16, a ceremony of taking up arms should take place on the air base of Creil (Oise), where the majority of the personnel of the DRM is assigned, in the presence of the veterans of the service. It is there, on the edge of the forest, 65 kilometers from the headquarters of the General Staff in Paris, that the main centers for specialized analysis of the DRM are located (in imagery, cyber, electromagnetic, etc. ). This is also where France’s air and satellite intelligence sensor orientation plans are piloted and prioritized, in particular the CSO (imaging) and Céres (electromagnetic) satellites.
The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMA), General Thierry Burkhard, will not be there. But, during a visit to Creil on May 9, to which The world was able to participate, he came to reassure the 2,000 DRM agents in his own way about their record, while taking advantage of the opportunity to justify himself about the departure of General Vidaud. “DRM is going through a particular phase, he admitted during a speech to an audience of civilians and soldiers. I have high expectations for the intelligence function (…) your work is not in question, but I had the perception that it was necessary to change [de DRM]. »
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The service was undergoing a delicate transformation when the Ukrainian conflict broke out. Changes linked to an old problem of staff turnover, a phenomenon increased by the multiplication of conflicts – hybrid, informational, technological or the reaffirmation of the great military powers. General Burkhard therefore seized this visit of May 9 to announce additional resources: “I asked for efforts for your benefit, it is under arbitration”, he assured that day. “The war in Ukraine is your war”he concluded.
“The DRM must contribute to the freedom of assessment, decision and action of the Chief of the Armed Forces and Armed Forces Staff”, Jacques Langlade de Montgros, head of the DRM
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