Last month, the French defense procurement agency DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement) conducted Exercise Endurance. Both the military and the defense industry have been mobilized to estimate the rate of growth of economic output in the event of a high-intensity conflict. In addition, barriers to the process must be identified and addressed.
Orion 2026, a large-scale multinational exercise to prepare military forces for high-intensity operations, has previously been conducted and tested the temporary use of people, companies, goods and services of the civilian economy. For the first time, the DGA conducted a forfeiture exercise under the Military Program Act 2024-2030 of August 1, 2023, regarding the temporary provision of individuals or entities, goods or services. From 2023, France is converting its economy to a war economy.
General Lahous
“We,” Alexandre Lahous, the DGA’s chief engineer of defense and deputy director general of the DGA, told the defense minister in Paris, “are living in a time when everything is accelerating: combined arms warfare, drones and drone defense, electronic warfare, deep sea dominance, space resilience, cybersecurity, energy deployment, advanced propulsion, artificial intelligence, quantum computing. The art of war is evolving significantly and the challenges are enormous.”
Responsible for transforming the DGA into a “combat body”: General Alexandre Lahous.
Photo: DGA
Against the backdrop of current geopolitical events, that is, the Russian war of aggression and extermination against Ukraine, which has been raging for about four and a half years, and recently complemented by the US-Israeli war against Iran, the DGA, according to General Lahousse, has developed a plan for transformation towards becoming a “combatant power” for which he himself is responsible. This provides for larger and faster delivery of military equipment. Due to higher volumes reported by the industry, purchasing prices should also fall. That’s why the DGA’s new “Cost Killing” department exists. Ultimately, in addition to French companies (French BITD), European companies will increasingly be included, including suppliers.
Gerd Portugal