Actualités
Every year the Centre des hautes études militaires (Center for Higher Military Studies) welcomes approximately 25 French and five foreign officers. The school prepares high level commanders to serve in joint task forces, at both interdepartmental and international levels, enabling the officers to reflect upon the evolution of defense issues.
The mission of CHEM, located at the core of Ecole Militaire (Paris 7), is to prepare officers with high potential to serve as key leaders in the armed forces, in joint force operations and in central administration.
For more than a century, CHEM has been an important stepping stone for the training and preparation of the best of the French military officers, a stepping stone where future commanders and general officers will be hand-selected.
Every year, Colonels, Navy Captains or the equivalent are chosen to attend CHEM. The process includes a proposal from each service chief of staff: twenty-five French officers and between four to six foreign officers; this year represented by Germany, Spain, the USA, Italy and the United Kingdom.
For ten months these senior officers divide their training time between CHEM and the “defence policy” session at the Institut des hautes études de défense nationale, enabling them to meet and share their experiences and thoughts with senior civilian attendees.
Understanding the Present and Considering the Future
“The recent events provide true food-for-thought”, Benoit Durieux, Brigadier General and the Director of CHEM explains. “How can we define war today? What will it be in ten years? How can we make military action effective? These are all the strategic issues that give us food for thought.”
In order to further explore these questions, visits and study missions are organised both in France and in other countries. Among others this year included trips to N’Djamena in Chad, to the French State Council and to the most confidential centers of nuclear deterrence. Additionally, as the CHEMists participated in meetings with more than 300 military and civilian speakers, diplomats, senior officials or political figures such as the former President of the Republic Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, manager Jean-Louis Beffa and philosopher Pierre Manent.
Through the study of varying weapons programs, budget and finance, human resources and the defense ministry, the students of CHEMdevelop an understanding of our future force in addition to developing their leadership and decision-making skills. As a justification, General Durieux says:
“It’s useless to know all the facts of a problem if you are not able to gain support and bring everyone together.”
Colonel Jean-Luc Moritz, former CHEM graduate who is now working on the French Air Force Staff adds: “CHEM gives us the keys to understanding and facilitating military-political relationships. The joint, interdepartmental and combined dimension of the syllabus creates strong and lasting links between the graduates; it’s another method to work toward effective future cooperation.”
Colonel Jean-Christophe Béchon, now deputy head of the Prime Minister’s military cabinet adds,
“CHEM gives military leaders some breadth of knowledge and stronger leadership skills. Defense is not only about military operations, even if they are the end state.”
A Think Tank
CHEM also encourages strategic thinking and research. A primary goal for these officers in their varying capacities is to utilize what they learned and apply it within their military planning.
“Some of the CHEM projects are presented to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and then used by the his staff for their planning purposes. Some articles written by the 64th session’s graduates were published in a collective work titled, La guerre par ceux qui la font” (Editions du Rocher), compiled by General Durieux.
CHEM History
At first only designed for the French land forces, the first CHEM session launched in January 1911 upon the initiative of General Ferdinand Foch at Ecole Militaire.
In 1921, the French Navy opened the Centre des hautes études navales and the Air Force followed in 1936.
After World War II, CHEM reopened in 1952 as a joint school. Since then, it has welcomed general Charles de Gaulle, Marshals Alphonse Juin and Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, and more recently the last four Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: Admiral Edouard Guillaud and Army Generals Henry Bentégeat, Jean-Louis Georgelin et Pierre de Villiers.
Sources : Ministère des Armées
