Key Takeaways
- The Diplôme sur le Renseignement et les Menaces Globales course at Sciences Po Saint-Germain is a unique program that brings together typical students and active members of the French secret services to study intelligence and global threats.
- The course is designed to identify threats, track and overcome them, and covers topics such as the economics of organized crime, Islamic jihadism, business intelligence gathering, and political violence.
- The French secret services have expanded significantly in recent years, with around 20,000 agents in the "inner circle", and the course is seen as a way to provide continuous training for current agents and train potential new spies.
- The private sector is also increasingly interested in the course, with big businesses in the defence and aerospace sector, as well as French luxury goods firms, looking to hire graduates to counter cyber security and spying threats.
- The course has a diverse range of students, including women, who are increasingly interested in intelligence gathering, and younger students who are patriotic and keen to join the security services.
Introduction to the Course
The Diplôme sur le Renseignement et les Menaces Globales course at Sciences Po Saint-Germain is a highly unusual program that attracts both typical students in their early 20s and French government spies on day release. The course was developed by the university in association with the Academie du Renseignement, the training arm of the French secret services, following a request from French authorities a decade ago. The course is designed to identify threats, track and overcome them, and covers topics such as the economics of organized crime, Islamic jihadism, business intelligence gathering, and political violence.
The Students and Lecturers
The course has a diverse range of students, including women, who are increasingly interested in intelligence gathering. Nearly half of the students in the class are women, and they are attracted to the course because they think it will provide for a better world. The lecturers on the course include a DGSE official once located in Moscow, a former French ambassador to Libya, and a senior official from Tracfin, an intelligence agency that specializes in money laundering. The head of security at the French energy giant EDF also runs one module. The students and lecturers are a mix of experienced professionals and young, enthusiastic individuals who are keen to learn about intelligence and global threats.
The French Secret Services
The French secret services have expanded significantly in recent years, with around 20,000 agents in the "inner circle". The course is seen as a way to provide continuous training for current agents and train potential new spies. The French secret services are made up of the DGSE, which looks at matters overseas, and the DGSI, which focuses on threats within France. Tracfin is also an important part of the French secret services, and it specializes in money laundering and financial crime. The surge in mafia activity, especially in southern France, including corruption in the public and private sectors mainly due to massive profits in illegal drug trafficking, is a major concern for the French secret services.
The Private Sector’s Interest in the Course
The private sector is also increasingly interested in the course, with big businesses in the defence and aerospace sector, as well as French luxury goods firms, looking to hire graduates to counter cyber security and spying threats. Recent graduates have been snapped up by the French mobile phone operator Orange, aerospace and defence giant Thales, and LVHM, which owns everything from Louis Vuitton and Dior to champagne brands Dom Perignon and Krug. The course is seen as a way to provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to identify and overcome threats, and to provide businesses with the expertise they need to protect themselves from cyber security and spying threats.
The Course Content
The course is made up of 120 hours of classwork with modules spread over four months. The core aim of the course is to identify threats wherever they are, and how to track and overcome them. The key topics include the economics of organized crime, Islamic jihadism, business intelligence gathering, and political violence. The course also covers the use of technology in intelligence gathering, and the importance of human intelligence in identifying and overcoming threats. The students are taught by experienced professionals who have worked in the French secret services, and they are given the opportunity to learn from their experiences and gain a deeper understanding of the world of intelligence and global threats.
Conclusion
The Diplôme sur le Renseignement et les Menaces Globales course at Sciences Po Saint-Germain is a unique and fascinating program that provides students with the skills and knowledge they need to identify and overcome threats. The course is designed to provide continuous training for current agents and train potential new spies, and it is also seen as a way to provide businesses with the expertise they need to protect themselves from cyber security and spying threats. The course has a diverse range of students, including women, who are increasingly interested in intelligence gathering, and younger students who are patriotic and keen to join the security services. As the world of intelligence and global threats continues to evolve, the Diplôme sur le Renseignement et les Menaces Globales course is an important part of France’s efforts to stay ahead of the threats and to protect its citizens and businesses.