Paris International Capstone Course (Paris-ICC), 3rd edition

General Burkhard, chef d'état-major des armées (CHOD), is honoured to invite participants to the third edition of the Paris International Capstone Course (Paris-ICC).

Organisation details

Dear fellow member,

As the organising entity, we, the French Centre for Higher Military Studies (Centre des Hautes Études Militaires – CHEM), are pleased to welcome you to the third edition of the Paris - International Capstone Course (Paris-ICC), initiated by the French Chief of Defence Staff.

For this third edition, we will host 27 flag officers from 27 allied countries, and 14 French fellows.

This paper aims at clarifying most of the practical details about your stay with us in Paris.

The detailed course schedule is under construction and will be issued later. It shall remain subject to potential changes before and/or during the course. Nevertheless, information enclosed hereby is meant to provide all necessary details to plan your stay in Paris. Feel free to contact Paris-ICC staff for any other information.

The Paris-ICC aims at fostering mutual strategic understanding amongst its members, all soon-to-be key military leaders within the Euro-Atlantic area.

Together, you will get the opportunity to engage with top civilian and military leadership and build a solid network to tackle our future shared challenges.

The Paris-ICC will provide you with a unique forum to share views and knowledge of your :

respective defence organisations, decision-making and capacity-building processes, as well as their interactions with NATO and EU,
military capabilities, including thinking the relation between conventional assets and allied or national nuclear deterrence,
global and regional strategic visions, including breakthrough strategies and capabilities, built on the lessons learned from current or recent wars and crises.

It will further hone your ability to forge common innovative defence solutions in crises, when collective high-ranking leadership reactivity matters above all, to outthink and outpace the enemy.

During 2 weeks, from June 30^th to July 14^th, 2025, the Paris-ICC curriculum will rely on a diversified educational approach, including lectures and discussions with top military and civilian authorities. We are designing a course that will include debates, insights from academics and study tours to operational, institutional and historical sites.

Vice-admiral (retd) Henri Schricke, former French military representative to NATO and the EU (2020-2022), will mentor the whole course.

Attendance to the garden party given by the French Minister of the armed Forces at the Hôtel de Brienne and to the Bastille Day parade on the Champs-Elysées will conclude the course.

The agenda will be divided into eight phases:

Welcome remarks and reception ;
Euro Atlantic threats and strategic concepts ;
Multi-domain operations updated from lessons learned from Ukraine & recent training, including a study case ;
Historical perspective on coalition wars (battlefield tour in VERDUN and French Army museum in Paris) ;
Visits to operational units & bases outside Paris (Eastern and southern France - 2 days and Brest naval base - 1 day) ;
Capability challenges within the EU and NATO frameworks ;
Conclusion & graduation ;
Bastille Day.

During the course, fellow members will be streamed into four joint syndicates to debate on several topics under the aegis of a mentor. Subsequently, each syndicate will deliver a ten-minute back brief to the senior mentor in order to summarise the outcome of each debate, thus sharing all the emerging ideas and benefitting from expert feedback with the whole cohort of participants. In addition, one case study per syndicate will deal with elaborating strategic options to tackle current threats or risks to the Euro-Atlantic area.

Syndicate members and moderators will be reshuffled for each activity in order to further foster engagement and networking.

Accommodation/Hotels

All participants - to the exclusion of French members living in Paris and its suburbs - have a reservation for a double room at Paris “Cercle National des Armées” (CNA)¹ www.cnaparis.com, from Sunday, June 29^th afternoon onward. The check-in will take place from 4.00PM.

The expense is covered by the French Armed Forces.

Spouses or partners can be accommodated at no extra expense. Please register the duration of their stay at the CNA on the P-ICC registration form. The rooms at CNA are booked for the whole duration of the course. Therefore during study tours outside of Paris, spouses or partners can use this accommodation in Paris.

Accommodation for participants during tours outside of Paris will also be taken in charge by the French Armed Forces.

1. Cercle national des Armées : 8 place SAINT AUGUSTIN PARIS 8^ème

Double rooms in the CNA, as well as accommodation during the study tours, include breakfast.

The French Armed Forces will support all daily lunches, except on Saturday July 5^th and Sunday July 6th.

Daily dinners are onto the participants’ own expense, except for receptions/social events,

Lunches and dinners for spouses or partners will also be at their own expense, except for receptions/social events in Paris, to which they will be invited.

A short dedicated programme in Paris will be organised for the short period of time military partners will be away from Paris. Spouses or partners will also be invited to Paris-ICC's social events.

They will also be invited, on a voluntary basis, to participate in a battlefield tour planned on Friday, July 4^th, in North-Eastern France, and to a historical perspective visit to the French Army museum located at the Invalides in Paris, on Saturday morning, July 5^th.

All participants are excepted to be in Paris on Sunday, June 29th 7:00PM for an ice-breaker (cocktail dinner in dedicated room of CNA).

Monday, June 30^th 8:00 AM, participants will be met by the Paris ICC staff, in the CNA lobby. (see below). A Paris ICC Staff bus will drive all the fellows to the “Ecole Militaire²”, where an in-processing activity will start at 8.30 AM.

Participants already living in Paris can join either at the CNA or at the “Ecole militaire” main gate, NLT 08.15 AM.

All participants must be in possession of an official ID to enter the “Ecole militaire”.

The dress code will be specified later.

2. Ecole Militaire : 1 place JOFFRE PARIS 7^ème

From Monday to Friday, the daily routine schedule is:

08:15 : departure from CNA
09:00 - 10:30: 1^st lecture or debriefing
11:00 - 12:30 : 2^nd lecture
12:30 - 14:00 : lunch
14:00 - 15:30 : 3^rd lecture
16:00 - 17:30 : debates
After 17:30: return to CNA and free time or social event as planned.

This routine remains indicative and may vary daily according to speakers’ availability or to training opportunities.

Fellow members (without spouses/partners) will spend Tuesday, July 08^th and Wednesday, July 09^th outside Paris, visiting armed forces units and bases in Eastern and Southern France.

CNA - Ecole Militaire transfers (mornings and evenings) will be by bus operated by Paris-ICC staff).

Arrival in France (including transfer from the airport or railway station to the CNA) is not provided and must be organised by members, under their national procedures, in order to comply with the joining schedule.

Departure from France (including transfer from the CNA to the airport or railway station) is not provided and must be organised by members, under their national procedures, taking into account the end of the Bastille Day parade and return to the CNA c/ 1:00 pm on July 14^th. We strongly recommend not to book flights or trains earlier than 4:30 pm.

Please indicate your effective travel arrangements to/from France on the Paris ICC Registration Form.

The French Armed Forces will take care of all travels within France as per the Paris ICC curriculum, except Paris bus/subway tickets if participants decide to use public transportation during the course.

Cocktails in CNA (Ice Breaker), with spouses/partners, is scheduled on Sunday June 29^th(7:00PM). Cultural activity and cocktail with spouses/partners is scheduled on Monday June 30^th (5:30 PM).

Transportation has been arranged to these events from the CNA for attendees and spouses/partners.

Friday July 4, afternoon and evening, is dedicated to a “historical battlefield tour” in Verdun, travelling by train. Spouses/partners are welcome to join on a voluntary basis.

On Saturday July 5 at 10:00 AM, an “Invalides” war museum tour visit will be organised, also open to spouses/partners.

From Tuesday July 08 to Wednesday July 09, course members will be visiting operational units and bases in the eastern and southern part of France, travelling by train and/or military aircraft. This tour will not include spouses/partners. A cocktail is also planned, for members only, during the forces/bases tour, in Toulon on the evening of July 08.

On Monday, July 14^th, last day of the course and “Bastille Day”, participants are invited to attend the military parade with spouses/partners.

This event will conclude the Paris ICC 2025 session.

The Paris ICC Course will end officially with a graduation ceremony chaired by a French senior military authority, who will present the fellows with their diploma.

English is the working language at the Paris ICC, thus third NATO JFLT level is recommended.

Registration form

Selected candidates are kindly requested to go to the following web site to download and fill in the registration form: https://www.defense.gouv.fr/dems/centre-hautes-etudes-militaires/paris-…

Participants are kindly asked to fill in and return the registration form with all the requested documents NLT May 1^st to dems-chem-paris-icc.resp.fct@intradef.gouv.fr

* Requested documents:

Full Biography in English with an ID format picture;
NATO SECRET security clearance certificate for NATO nation fellows and National security clearance certificates for non-NATO nation fellows;
Passport photocopy.

An authorisation for using pictures (copyright) taken during the course form will also be provided to you, upon your arrival.

Laptop computers will not be delivered to the participants. However, personal connected devices such as laptops, tablets, watches etc. are fully allowed on the Ecole Militaire site, as well as smart phones using 5Gs data.

“UNCLASSIFIED” desktop computers will be set up in each syndicate classroom with a web connection and authorised USB sticks in order to prepare briefings.

An anti-virus scanning station will be available for all external devices (USB sticks etc.)

Depending on the circumstances, the following uniforms may be used:

Warm weather ceremonial uniform with jacket and tie (only for the last social event on 13^th and Bastille Day Parade) ;
Warm weather barrack dress for daily business (short sleeves, ribbons);
Casual civilian attire, particularly for the historical tour and museum visit.

Joining on the first day, including the evening reception, the dress code will be “warm weather barrack dress for daily business (short sleeves, ribbons)”.

Group pictures will be taken in different attires during the course, and of course sent to the members.

Please note that prior to departing from your home country; you shall obtain a valid health insurance.

The “Ecole Militaire” sick bay will be accessible to fellows. Its medical staff can provide initial diagnosis and first aid, should immediate treatment be needed. Two military hospitals in Paris and its immediate surroundings would provide next level treatment if needed.

Out of office health emergencies should be dealt with by dialling 118.

All medical care in France will be at the fellows’ own expenses and in accordance with European or bilateral health agreements.

French participants also have to complete the registration process.

Accommodation at the CNA will not be provided to French members living in Paris or its suburbs.

French participants administrative position will be under “ordre de mission”, in accordance with their own service’s procedures.