French President Emmanuel Macron has convened a new national defense and security council on Wednesday regarding 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 to take place at 11:00, following the Council of Ministers, the Elysée announced Tuesday night, with no further details.
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 defines orientations in military programming, nuclear deterrence, conduct of external operations, crisis management, and counter-terrorism. Its deliberations are covered by defense secrecy, making it a central but not very transparent decision-making body. This operation has garnered criticism, particularly during the Covid-19 crisis when it was heavily utilized 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 the Armies, 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 issues discussed.
Before 2015, the Council met sporadically, usually two to three times a year. Since then, the increase in security and geopolitical crises has significantly raised the frequency of meetings. In fact, while the Council met 10 times in 2015, it rose to 42 meetings in 2017.
/2026/04/15/69dffdeab35c4313927113.jpg "War in the Middle East: The White House announces discussing a new meeting with Iran")
