French President Emmanuel Macron convened a new national defense and security council on Wednesday on the situation in Iran in the Middle East, two days before a meeting of “non-belligerent countries” ready to participate in a mission to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
This defense council bringing together ministers and officials responsible for security issues was scheduled for 11:00 am, after the Council of Ministers, said the Elysee on Tuesday evening, without further details.
A strategic body
In France, the National Defense and Security Council is a restricted formation of the Council of Ministers, created by decree on December 24, 2009 and chaired by the head of state.
As a strategic body, it notably defines guidelines regarding military programming, nuclear deterrence, conduct of external operations, crisis management, and counterterrorism.
Its deliberations are covered by defense secrecy, making it a central but opaque decision-making body. This operational mode has raised criticism, particularly during the Covid-19 crisis when it was extensively used by Emmanuel Macron.
Composition
The Defense and Security Council includes several ministers and is chaired by the President of the Republic. The presence of the Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, Interior, Economy and Finance, Budget, and Foreign Affairs is mandatory. Other ministers or experts may be summoned by the President of the Republic depending on the topics discussed.
Before 2015, the Council met on an ad hoc basis, usually between two and three times a year. Since then, the increase in security and geopolitical crises has greatly accelerated the pace of meetings. In fact, while the Council met 10 times in 2015, it held 42 meetings in 2017.
