Direction du Renseignement Militaire

France
French intelligence regroups to better cover war in Ukraine

After being caught out by the start of the conflict, France's intelligence services have since restructured and are taking more decisive action on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But that has come with some serious soul-searching.

Iraq, United States
USSOCOM still in Q-West base two years after official withdrawal

Although Washington had announced its complete withdrawal from the Q-West military base, US special forces are still there, with a mission to train the Golden Division, an elite unit of the Iraqi counter-terrorism service.

France
French military gets offensive again in its information warfare against Russia

The French government is once more deploying its inter-force environmental actions centre's (CIAE) digital operations group (GON) to conduct online influence operations against Russia.

France
Atos Digital Security to chaperone Aleph on cybersecurity market

Thanks to its latest fundraising operation, French dark web investigations specialist Aleph Networks has found itself an ideal partner for its move into the cybersecurity market: Atos Digital Security, the cyber security arm of France's IT group Atos.

Iran
Mohammad Kazemi already at work reorganising the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence service

Only just appointed to his new post as head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' intelligence service, Mohammad Kazemi intends to respond rapidly to Ali Khamenei's wish to reform this key component of the regime's security apparatus.

France
Comcyber picks all-in-one command and control platform favourites

France's defence innovation agency has selected the metaverse cyber operations command centre project that Airbus and its university partner IMT Atlantique developed as part of a government-run call for cybersecurity projects.

Spotlight | France
DGSE draws up French military appropriations bill wish list

French intelligence services attached to the defence ministry are hoping to gain easier access to algorithms, data, cookies and DNA samples. Their needs will be discussed at a defence and national security council meeting led by President Macron this week.

The Agencies' Gazette
Hossein Taeb dismissed, DGSE gets Tripoli villa, DRM celebrates 30th anniversary, New narrative in Belarus

Appointments, reforms and key issues: every Monday, we report on events both big and small that matter in the global intelligence community. This week we home in on Iran, France and Belarus.

IranTehran's Pasdaran spymaster on the way out

FranceLuxury villa awaits DGSE chief in Tripoli

FranceEx-directors absent from DRM's 30th anniversary

BelarusNew narrative in security circles towards the West

France
Safran overtakes L3 in the final stretch to win French spy plane camera contract

L3Harris, the US group which produces the Wescam camera, had been the favourite but, in the end, France's Vador intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft will be fitted with Safran's Euroflir 410 cameras. One plane is already in service over Romania but is not fully equipped.

France
ChapsVision and Thales take charge of Grand Cyber's CTI component

Two consortia have come up with proposals for strong Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) packages for the French intelligence services. One is led by French big data analysis specialist ChapsVision, the other by defence electronics group Thales.

France
French military counter-espionage service set for a new director

Eric Bucquet is to hand over as head of the defence security intelligence service, the DRSD, this summer and he should be succeeded by Stéphane Dupont, currently in charge of French forces in Djibouti.

The Agencies' Gazette
CIA, Georgia's GIS, Hamas finance, DGSE operations

Appointments, reforms and key issues: every Monday, we report on events both big and small that matter in the global intelligence community. This week we home in on the US, Georgia, Palestine, Turkey and France.

United StatesCIA's spies experience housing crisis in Langley

GeorgiaGovernment increases oversight of GIS' international dealings

Palestine/TurkeyHamas still receiving funds from Turkey

FranceDGSE operations department poised to get new chief

France
Secretive military intelligence unit Paros targets Islamic militants for elimination

By staffing it, the French military intelligence directorate (DRM) has exposed the existence of its top-secret unit Paros. This unit is responsible for locating high-value targets for France's special forces to kill, as the country moves towards a two-pronged intelligence-special forces approach in the Sahel.

France
France's highest administrative jurisdiction will handle the case of disowned intelligence official

The legal battle between France's domestic intelligence agency, the DGSI, and one of its former officers, Eric M., suspected of being too close to the US intelligence community, should soon come to a close before the Council of State.

Spotlight | Ukraine
Allied tensions mount over supply of weapons to Ukraine

As fighting in the Donbass intensifies, Kyiv is negotiating with the West to obtain heavier weapons. It is especially keen to obtain airborne weaponry, but while the US, followed by most European countries, has started to respond, Paris is reluctant to follow.

France
Military procurement agency's cyber branch strides into French anti-disinformation apparatus

Among its hundreds of new cyber recruits, the information control department of the French military procurement agency, the DGA, will create an information warfare taskforce to give the ministry of armed forces the technical means to achieve its goals.