B2 The Daily of Geopolitical Europe. News. Files. Reflections. Reports

National DefenseReport

In the tank…

(BRUSSELS2 to Paris)"Anticipate, Plan, Drive", the motto of the Center for Planning and Operational Conduct (CPCO) is not an empty word. I was thus able to enter this place, located very discreetly in the basement of the Ministry of Defense, bd Saint Germain in Paris.

The "marine" atmosphere

In the "tank", below the level of the Seine, with its corridors and its somewhat narrow stairs, the atmosphere strangely resembles that of a submarine (although a little bigger). Sometimes when it's wet and the water of the Seine rises, the reality meets the impression. This can leak and bedpans are required. If there are soldiers who are in a hurry and happy to join the new headquarters of the ministry in Balard, it is the permanent staff of the CPCO.

In the operational room, the holy of holies, a few tables, workstations by geographical area: Africa, Indian Ocean, Europe, Middle East... Behind the computers, at the back of the space, are hung on the wall the antique maps papers that testify to the transition to the digital age. Upstairs, behind bay windows, the "watch" officials. Always the "marine" atmosphere.

From Tampa to Kabul via Paris

In the meeting room, several lines display the times of the various theaters or places where the French and Allies are located: from Tampa to Kabul via Abidjan, N'Djamena, Pristina and Beirut... without forgetting Bamako which has added previously.

Nearly 24.000 soldiers are currently prepositioned, in the bases of sovereignty or zones of presence, or in external operations (OPEX). With the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the operation in Mali, most (about 3/4) of the troops are now operating in Africa. The CPCO also monitors the forces deployed at the national level. They are not negligible: 2600 soldiers deployed in May 2013 (from about 1800 in 2008), mainly for Vigipirate or in support of civilian forces.

A French specificity: a direct line between the Head of State and the control of forces

The French specificity has no "d'equivalent elsewhere says an officer. Germany and the United Kingdom, for example, do not have this type of organization where the Chief of Staff is both the military adviser to the President and the chief of operations.

The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMA) always retains control of his forces. Operational Command (OpCon) is effectively assigned to the EU or NATO Operation or Force Commander. But he is only "delegate". CEMA always gives national directives. It defines the rules of employment and operational engagement.

A distribution of tasks

The men and women of the CPCO are distributed according to the missions (combat, military contribution to the actions of the State and permanent postures) and according to the geographical sectors (National, Europe, Africa, World). In a classic way, the organization of the CPCO reproduces the distribution of tasks according to the NATO "norm": from J1 in charge of personnel to J9 in charge of Cimic through J2 (Intelligence), J3 (driving), J4 (logistics ), D5 (Planning), D6 (systems information and communication or SIC), J7 (training) and J8 (finance). A little less than 200 people thus work at the CPCO, to which must be added around fifty soldiers from the DRM (the military intelligence directorate) in charge of Intelligence (Rens' for those close to them) who have a double role (DRM and CPCO). " This saves money and avoids duplication.

Driving hot!

What planners hate, but operatives love, is "hot driving", when the crisis arrives and nothing is planned. This was the case for the Ponant hostage-taking, for example. " We set up the crisis unit, in a few hours, by putting all the skills into interdepartmental says an officer. It was indeed necessary to combine the means of the armies, the interior and Foreign Affairs... But, after the first hours, the imperative very quickly is to " to have water under the keel as the sailors say about the operation. It's the dread of planning: "to be able to anticipate events, to take a step back". The planners move into another room, with the objective of " save time "and power" plan for a few hours first, then a few days » the rest of the operations.

Operation Serval in command

In a way, the Serval operation - in Mali - proceeded according to this principle. " We didn't have time to plan everything. The original concept “Africans by themselves and training by the European Union” was no longer relevant” et playable. Given the rapid rise in power of the operation, the CPCO also ensured the "operational and strategic level" during the first month of the operation, until February 10 and the establishment of an operation HQ on place (in Senegal first). Which is rather exceptional. The CPCO has received reinforcements. The "operatives" took refuge in one of the rooms in the basement of the CPCO. A very small room to hold up to 20 and 25 people - not counting the "Rens" placed in a side room. Assignment : " receive political directives and transform them into order for the theater » and pass on to the political channel what is happening on the ground, by proposing solutions. They thus ensured the command and control, in particular for the determination of the targets. A sensitive issue that was followed in high places. " It happened to us several times to go to the President of the Republic to clarify or explain the question of targeting. »

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

s2Member®