“The Middle East we have known is over. We see that Syria is already divided on the ground, that the regime is controlling only a small part of the county, only one-third of the country which was established after WWII. We have the same thing in Iraq. I doubt really that one can come back to the previous situation.” Former DGSE Director Bernard Bajolet

Pierre Bousquet de Florian will run the CNR. Laurent Nunez, and Bernard Emié should head the DGSI and the DGSE respectively. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

The appointment of Bousquet de Florian is official. The choice of Laurent Nunez and Bernard Emié is still a rumor at this point.

France has six ‘main’ intelligence agencies as well as several smaller ones such as the “Direction du Renseignement de la préfecture de Police de Paris” (DRPP).

In a recent post, I told you that four French Intel Agency Directors were about to retire just when the country was preparing to elect a new President amid a series of serious political scandals.

On April 17 2017, Françoise Bilancini succeeded to René Bailly as the new boss of the Paris Police Intelligence Service [Direction du Renseignement de la préfecture de Police de Paris (DRPP)]. Bilancini became the first woman ever to lead a French Intelligence Agency.

Bernard Bajolet (DGSE), Patrick Calvar (DGSI), and Christophe Gomart (DRM) are retiring. Without a doubt, choosing their successors is one of the highest priorities of the new French President.

Bernard Emié

In a recent post, I suggested that the new DGSE Director [Directorate General on Exterior Security] would most likely be a diplomat.

The front-runners are rumored to be Bernard Emié and André Parant. Both men are diplomats. The former is the ambassador in Algiers while the second is the ambassador in Cairo. Like Bajolet, they are experts of the Arab world. (The name of third diplomat is also mentioned: Michel Miraillet.) [INTEL TODAY MARCH 5 2017] RELATED POST: FRANCE — And the Next DGSE Boss is?

Bernard Emié (born 6 September 1958) is a French career diplomat, who served as High Commissioner in Algiers since 1 August 2014. Emié was the French Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2011 until 2014, and previously Ambassador to Turkey at Ankara. Emié has left his post in Algiers. He should be replaced by Xavier Driencourt.

Laurent Nunez [Directorate General for Internal Security]

The French government announced on June 7 2017 that Laurent Nunez, the current police prefect in the Bouches-du-Rhone, was approached to head the General Direction of Interior Security (DGSI).

Pierre Bousquet de Florian

The French Council of Defence approved on June 7 2017 the creation of a ‘national centre for counter-terrorism’ among the National Coordination of Information (CNR), both managed by Bousquet de Florian.

Bousquet de Florian headed the Direction de la surveillance du territoire from 2002-2007.

About the DRM

General Christophe Gomart, who is the current director of the DRM, has also announced his retirement (date unknown). Air Force General Serge Cholley is rumored to be a potential successor. General Serge Cholley currently commands Operation Chammal in Syria and Iraq.

REFERENCES

“Taskforce”, DGSE… Les 3 futurs patrons du renseignement français — L’ OBS

French counter-terrorism experts come out in support of Macron — Reuters

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French Intel Agencies — Macron picks three new directors