Where Does France Stand In the Upheaval of the World?
Speaker(s): Fried, T. (Senior Advisor to the Vice Chairman of the French Joint Chiefs of Staff)
Date: 24 February 2022
Speaker Session Summary
SMA hosted a speaker session with Ms. Tsiporah Fried (Senior Advisor to the Vice Chairman of the French Joint Chiefs of Staff) as part of its SMA EUCOM Speaker Series.
Ms. Fried gave a synopsis of France’s military strengths and weaknesses amid the ongoing global ideological and geopolitical upheaval. This geopolitical upheaval is causing Western belief structures, economic models, and the current multipolar world order to be threatened. Some of France’s strongest military capabilities include: a) nuclear deterrent capabilities, b) its ability to deploy aircraft carrier groups, c) its ability to assert French influence through its soldiers’ presence, and d) its quick communication between The Chief of the Army Staff and president. France ultimately wants to understand its strategic environment, act deliberately, and engage with allies to create overwhelming military superiority.
Despite the current geopolitical challenges, France’s complete model army, strong economy, and network of allies still gives it and the West at large a significant military advantage over its enemies. France is considered by other actors as a top-tier military power; however, its recent economic slowdown will decrease its ability to maintain this status. Finally, Ms. Fried acknowledged that while France is well-equipped to fight a conventional military conflict, it is not well-equipped for conflict disengagement. She argued that the United States’ recent attempt to disengage in Afghanistan is a good example of the difficulties associated with conflict disengagement.
Speaker Session Recording
Our speaker requested that this session not be recorded. We apologize for any inconvenience this presents.
Tsiporah Fried Biography
Tsiporah Fried is currently a senior advisor to the Vice Chairman of the French Joint Chiefs of Staff. She also works regularly as an advisor to the Chairman on specific issues. She is particularly involved in the “preparation of the future” and general military strategy, for which she coordinates the main prospective and strategic studies and initiatives. Ms. Fried is a strategy analyst and thinker in military international cooperation and international relations, with a focus on European Defense, NATO and Transatlantic relations. She is in charge of the strategic dialogue between the French and US Vice-Chairman and is deputy director of publication of the Alumni ENA Review and president of the Club ENA-NAVY as well.
As a former senior project manager for military innovation, she created and piloted the French Joint Staff task force on artificial intelligence. Previously, she was a senior auditor at the Courdes Comptes (the highest jurisdiction in charge of public audit and budget control), where shebecame the expert on the Foreign Affairs department budget control. Ms. Fried conducted several important audits in the Foreign Affairs department and the Justice department. Sheserved also in leadership positions at the French Navy Staff, as a political advisor to the French Chief of Navy, and among several missions, led the Strategic Bilateral Talks with the US Navy, UK Royal Navy and Indian Navy. She was awarded the medal of Chevalier (Knight) of the“Ordre national du Mérite.” As a Navy Reserve Officer, she has also awarded the medal forVoluntary Services.
Ms. Fried is a former student of the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA—Class LSSenghor—with classmate, President Macron). Considered as one of the most elite French Schools, ENA selects and undertakes the initial training of senior officials. It stands as one ofthe main pathways to high responsibility positions in the public and private sectors. Ms. Fried has also a MA in Political Sciences and a degree in Russian language and civilization, from the National Institute for Oriental Language and Civilization (INALCO- Langues’O).
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