France
France's 2023 budget bill spells good news for intelligence services' real estate and cyber plans

The Intelligence Gazette
DRSD in Dubai, Kyiv's new deputy minister, SGDSN command, CIA's OSINT

Appointments, reforms and the issues at stake: every Monday, Intelligence Online serves up snippets big and small from the global intelligence community.

UkraineEx-Huawei employee appointed deputy minister for territories reintegration

FranceMajor reshuffle at defence and national security secretariat

United StatesGovernment to have more access to OSINT tools

FranceFrench defence security intelligence directorate on mission in Dubai

France
France's DRSD strained by load of sensitive defence-related site inspections

The early draft of France's 2024 budget shows a significant drop in the number of military sites and defence-related industries to be inspected by the Defence Intelligence and Security Directorate from 95% in recent years to 80% in 2024.

France
Budget documents confirm French intelligence services' construction fever

Work is set to start on the DGSE's new HQ, as the DSRD prepares to move into its new home and Tracfin to open a second site. Documents used to prepare the government's 2024 budget also show that the intelligence services are being given greater priority.

France
The high stakes of DGSI big data programme delays

Repeated delays for the phase two selection process of the French internal security service's big data analytics platform are changing the top line-up as key deadlines draw near.

France
DGSI big data programme struggles to get into second gear

The start of the second phase of work on the big data analytics platform being set up by France's internal security service, the DGSI, has been delayed for a second time.

France
French intelligence services' spending surges before budget boost

The French government has earmarked more funding for intelligence over the next five years, but France's intelligence services, particularly the DGSE, have already exceeded their 2022 provisional budgets.

France
French military appropriations bill serves up mostly good news for French intelligence services

France's five-year military appropriations bill, presented by the government on 5 April, contains some very positive developments for the intelligence community, including a budget at an all-time high. But some demands, revealed by Intelligence Online, have fallen on deaf ears.

France, Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan government speeds up industry prospection in France

After having closed borders for two years, Turkmenistan is getting back to business with France with the help of French advisers and politicians with connections to the country.

France, Turkmenistan
Led by Vinci, Bouygues and Thales, French industrial groups prepare to return to Ashgabat in force

Guided by Vinci, Bouygues and Thales, French industrial groups are set to start prospecting for new business in Turkmenistan. Business diplomacy firm CIFAL is preparing to take a new delegation of industry leaders to Ashgabat.

The Intelligence Gazette
DGSE's green goals, cybersecurity between Sultans, Lithuanian sanctions, Syrian airspace jitters

Appointments, reforms and the issues at stake: every Monday, Intelligence Online serves up snippets big and small from the global intelligence community from London to Paris via Nur-Sultan.

FranceDGSE goes green to justify pricey new head office.

Bahrain/OmanCybersecurity dominates cooperation talks between Manama and Mascat.

LithuaniaAnti-money laundering veteran takes helm of foreign ministry's 'sanctions' group.

Israel/SyriaTsahal seeks new targets from Syrian skies.

France
DRSD positions itself as French defence big data technology hub

France's defence security and intelligence service has developed a number of data tools that it is touting to other branches of the intelligence community.

France
France's security interceptions unit feels pinch of staff shortages

The inter-ministerial GIC (Groupement Interministériel de Contrôle), which operates France's security interceptions, is having trouble filling its ranks as its workload piles up.

France
Anti-disinformation agency Viginum seeks to move up a gear after a year in operation

Officially launched in July 2021, Viginum counters foreign influence operations, a goal that is now a priority for the French government.

Spotlight | France
Crackdown on disinformation drives race for OSINT tools in France

Buoyed by Viginum and the cyber branch of France's military procurement agency DGA-MI's projects, several French companies are trying to develop full open source intelligence platforms, such as Predicta Lab and Corexalys.

France
Construction conglomerates fight for pole position to build intel services' new HQs

France's internal and external intelligence agencies have begun drawing up plans for their future headquarters, to be located at either end of Paris. Both are now in the process of selecting constructors for these two major public contracts.

France
Elysée Palace weighs in to solve French intel staffing woes

Understaffed units, top-heavy management, recruitment difficulties and brain drain are among the human resources challenges that intelligence coordinator Laurent Nunez's team has been entrusted with tackling.

France
Macron gets intelligence services battle ready to protect elections from potential foreign interference

Unlike previous presidential polls, the Elysée is mobilising intelligence services on an unprecedented scale to secure the next election. Behind France's dedicated new agency Viginum, the DGSE, the DGSI and Tracfin are actively trying to prevent new foreign interferences.

Spotlight | France
French Senate finds DGSE's 2022 budget a tricky fit

After several prodigal years, the DGSE is expected to see a slight decrease in its budget and investments next year. Meanwhile, according to the Senate, the modest increase in personnel spending could prove insufficient.

France
Military security gets a bumper budget allocation in 2022

After a big increase in funding for France's DGSE external intelligence service in 2021, it will be the turn of the DRSD, defence intelligence and security service, to receive substantial fresh funding for its major development projects in 2022.

Spotlight | France
DGSE swallows up €2bn in resources

France's external intelligence service has launched some major works to increase its interceptions capacities and make room for new staff. Some bugetary juggling has been involved.

France
DRSD to get bigger budget in 2020

The French defence intelligence and security service, the Direction du [...]

France
Armed forces ministry looks for new AI solutions

Designed to encourage the emergence of a French AI leader, France's Artemis programme is looking increasingly uncertain as the armed forces ministry looks at alternatives.

Mysterious UK firm Duc In Altum wants to build medical cities in Africa

The South African representative of an unknown British firm owned by an Israeli-Bulgarian duo has been trying to convince various African governments to build vast smart medical cities to fight against Covid-19.