Workplan

I made yesterday a second lecture of the Senate document n°605 and I have established my workplan. The following is the name of the cartoon, the page I am illustrating, a citation from this page and additional references such as maps and graphs. The citation is translated into English with Google Translate. I also explain why I decided to illustrate this abstract. If you are a cartoonist or an artist and you would like to participate this project, you can submit your drawings in the comment section. There is a fee for participating with drawing which I implemented to forbit spammers and to cover the costs of advertising this website.

Ecosystem

One of the keys to the future of the BITD lies here: its ecosystem is in danger. By focusing on a few large groups, public opinion fails to perceive the multiplicity, diversity and vitality of the ecosystem of start-ups, SMEs and mid-caps without which large groups would not exist.

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The two senators are talking of the “Ecosystem” which originally refers to a term created by the botanist Arthur George Tansley in 1935 as a contraction of Ecological System. The two senators are talking of the industry of armament by using an inappropriate term because, if the Ecological System is threatened nowadays, it is precisely because of the Industry and the armament. If you read the full citation, they associate words such “ecosystem is in danger“, but to transpose a reality, “the ecosystem is really in danger”, into a fake context. The senators say that only seeing the big trees, the public is not seing the forest, and what counts here, is public opinion but it accentuates the necessity for public opinion to focus on the big trees, not on the ecosystem. Large groups represent large industries which is a political choice, but it is rather different than smaller groups who would offer a larger panel of products for the public to chose and exercise a choice.

Artificial industry

In the darker scenario, some might even argue that, in the state’s extremely difficult financial situation, the defense effort should be scaled back. This would be an economic and strategic misunderstanding, but above all it would be a tragic error, because it would be irreparable. The past forty years have shown us that when a piece of industrial activity disappears, it cannot be artificially restored afterwards.

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If we keep this citation in the context of the previous one, talking of the ecosystem, we see two senators who have a perfect understanding of environmental problems, a natural ecosystem cannot be replaced by an artificial one, and again, they are transposing the idea of an ecological system to the industry of armament with the same level of emergency as global warming. “Darker scenario“, “extremely difficult financial situation“, “scaled back“, “economic and strategic misunderstanding“, “tragic error“, “irreparable“, the vocabulary is dramatic, almost theatrical.

When we put this theatricality in the context of the army, having two generals talking, instead of senators, we would wonder what really is their purpose. The industry of armament represents militaries, people who are trained, at some levels, to develop a strategy and when militaries are in the middle of a battle, they are usually trained to only depend on themselves.

Here, we have an industry of armament (the DGA), which by the way is represented by an “engineer”, Joël Barre, whose career is more or less punctuated with Research and Development projects. He could have worked in a university if weapons were not case sensitive and his working skills are mostly that of a laboratory engineer. But here, in this report, the dramatic theatricality make us wonder where are the generals? The DGA, which used to stand for “Direction Générale de l’Armement” (DGA) stands now for “Délégué Général Pour l’Armement” (DGA), what sounds like a perfect figure for a communist party where the personality at the head of the organization is the organization itself.

Back to the idea, we can only wonder where is the strategy. The battle is catastrophic, “extremely difficult financial situation” and to alleviate the chaos they don’t offer to reorganize anything, a little bit less here, a little bit more here to develop a strategy, they already done that and the French industry is gone, out, factories are closed. No instead, they overplay drama to bring the whole senate into a collective havoc of cries and of self pity. We can almost imagine the king in the room and his court wearing the masks of outrage. “What? Really? Are we going to let the baby seal to die?“… The two senators are talking here of armament, weapons, rockets, bombs, nuclear ogives and other kind of materials of the kind.

Strategic segments

French industry is therefore doomed to excellence if it is to survive. It has the capacity to do so, because it can still rely on a very solid engineering culture and recognized inventiveness, two elements of very significant innovation potential. These remarkable provisions still need to be supported by adequate funding. This is essentially not the case and, as rapporteurs, we must draw attention to this critical point. In this regard, efforts have been made, notably by the State, but the hardest part remains to be done. And yet, time is running out: competition is increasing, tensions between great powers are exacerbating, and therefore their appetite for young innovative companies with high potential in strategic segments.

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The two senators explain that the French industry of armament has a good potential, because it has “solid engineers” and a “recognized inventiveness“. We don’t know if the inventiveness is related to armament, to the fashion industry or to the food industry, but having French blood in their veins, the engineers of the armament industry may have the potential to have been touched by grace. By the way, I recommend you to watch the Operation Petticoat movie.

In fact, the industry of armament has everything to succeed, except for one very tiny problem. It needs “to be supported by adequate funding” and here it makes me wonder, what is adequate funding? Then the two “rapporteurs” to develop “competition is increasing, tensions between great powers are exacerbating, and therefore their appetite for young innovative companies with high potential in strategic segments“. We learn that France has entered a competition against “great powers“, what again, makes me wonder. Who are the great powers? Is it China, is it Russia, is it the UK? We will learn later in the document that “great powers“, in fact, means “the United-States” so again, I do ask the question, what is “adequate funding” and the senators to argue that “great powers” have an “appetite for young innovative companies with high potential in strategic segments“. Why “young” and what are the “strategic segments“?

Just to remind you, for people who don’t know me, I have a personal story that led me to find this document n°605 of the French Senate and in my personal story, I had developed innovations, I have patented technologies, I have conducted research on the French forestry, which I consider a “strategic segment”, I have been threatened to death and it is only after I had to leave everything behind me, my home, my workshops, my books, my dog, my furniture, my life, few friends and family, that I could barely survive with finding asylum in the United-States, so the question of “ecosystem” and “strategic segments” are two notions that tilt to me.

Now, let me develop. The whole text is talking about “defense“, the budget of “defense“, the strategy of “defense” and this economic context where a “defense” is desperately asking for money. Why are they asking for money? To compete with the “great powers” that they will name later in the report as to be the United-States. They never mentioned China or the Soviet Union in this document, but they referred several times to the United-States. And here again me to ask what is “adequate funding” because China is not defensive. China is offensive, not with armament, but with industrial technologies. The Chinese industry is offensive toward the whole world and its armament is only a specular way to reinsure the Chinese people into the belief that communist China can defend and protect its people, those, soldiers, who work in the industries and offensively attack all the markets of the world. Chinese do not spy on military weapons with the same level as they spy on Western house wives, because their real weapons are gadgets, furniture, industrial parts and small electronics. Chinese already know that tanks and riffles are only for the losers in last ressort when the battle is lost. And France has already lost many battles, Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, Air France-KLM, Port of Le Havre, Port of Marseille, Orange S.A., SFIL, Engie, Eramet, whole the strategic parts of the French economy gone to China, ports, airports, telecommunications, rare earth. The industry of armament is only an illusion where “adequate funding” is only flooding to distract the politics from putting the money where real “strategic segments” of the economy may are.

So here again, me to ask the question. What is a “strategic segment” and I invite you to read my blog on forestry:

• The politics of woods
• The economy of woods
• Strategy on forestry
• Fire resistant houses

When I posted those four pages, the statistics of my blog were over flooded with visitors from China because each time I mentioned “China”, someone was there to spy on me. Wood, forestry, ecology, ecosystems are the real weapons.

Public powers

These mid-sized companies do not get the public’s attention, so there is a real risk that they do not get enough attention from the public powers.

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This sentence by itself sounds like an illusion, the idea that “public powers” will get attention on sensitive subjects as a result of the public getting attention. The problem here is not the public. The problem here is the star system and the way people are led to believe that only few big figures is better than several smaller ones. In the case of France, there is not a gradient visibility from small to big, because the French system is centripetal with few invisible satellites around. If I would transpose to fashion, you can read regularly in the press Mrs Brigitte Macron described as wearing Vuitton, Chanel, Givenchy. You cross the chanel and go to England where Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, is regularly pictured wearing small designers’ outfits. The French industry is doing just the same, by focusing on large groups while smaller companies are left to struggle.

30% commission

It is fundamental that public opinion can perceive that arms contracts, beyond the large groups that bear the image of them, feed the entire supply chain ecosystem. Thus, when Thalès wins a contract, the value of the product corresponding to the supplier is on average 50%. In some cases, the value accruing to subcontractors can reach 70%.

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Once upon a time, the French had the baguette. Now, they have arm contracts to “feed the entire supply chain ecosystem”, pork, chickens, ducks and donkeys and thus, when Thales of Miletus, the great mathematician came to France, he established that small circles were included inside bigger ones and that a theory of ratios of 30% commission would be, according to the French, a good theory to make a small circle look bigger. In England, they take frogs and they make them smoke cigars.

The ecosystem island

As with biodiversity, the disappearance of one element weakens the whole, almost invisibly, until the survival of the whole ecosystem is suddenly called into question. This is what will be at stake in the next five years: the survival of one of the last French industrial ecosystems, which has the particularity of being essential to all sovereignty, and to the protection of the French.

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It sounds like the lion in the middle of the savane calling for the hunter and saying “hey, I’m here“. He is the last of his kind, everything around him is dead and he is waving his tail trying to be fed. Five years is about the chance he may have to survive, which is about the length of a presidential mandate. The political drama which is played here shall delight any kind of enemy. They can save bullets, the lion is already starving. Maybe it won’t take five years.

This is a report made in Senate, this is public and all of this is about defense after France has lost its capacity for a peaceful offence on civil industrial values. It reminds me of a song from Hugues Aufrey, “Le petit âne gris” and it reminds me how France used to be loved. Young generations will never know this sovereign France, it was replaced with an army of weapon trafiquants. When we talk of sovereignty, we shall question the politics behind, that make a sovereignty. Warlords can never make a people.

Defense innovation

Deficiencies in the financing of defense innovation

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From beginning to the end, the whole report is only about money, money, money. You feel that they need money in their pockets, their socks, in their underwear and if only men could wear a bra. All this money to finance what? Defense, the last wall before loosing the war and when they talk of the “innovation of defense”, it reminds me of the tactics from Alexander the Great. His army was way under the capacity of his enemy but one night, he attached candles on the horns of his goats (he must have had many) and he circled the enemy with the goats. The candles shining at night have lured the enemy to believe that Alexander had a superior power while indeed, he only had goats. That was a wonderful innovation of offense and indeed, if France would have the potential for its own sovereignty, it would know were to spend the money and were to save it. Here the “deficiencies” is not about money, it is about the political power.

The death of business

In the short term, faced with a lack of cash, any company tends to cut back on its investments, because what is the point of investing if it leads the company to default and disappearance; but, in the medium and long term, cutting investments guarantees the death of the company. This is true in many sectors, but it is an inescapable reality in the defense sector, for a very simple reason: the materials are intended to equip forces which are confronted with other forces, which work permanently to strengthen. Therefore, stopping or even insufficient investment leads to rapid decommissioning.

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I tilted on the word “forces” because the text explains “the materials are intended to equip forces” | “which are confronted with other forces“, so where is the war? Is France right now engaged in a conflict? What kind of conflict is it? What kind of forces is that? What is the level of the materials of those forces? The biography of Joël Barre might say it all. He started his career with the DGA in 1979 in the “ballistics and aerodynamics research laboratory” (ground forces). “From 1980 to 1987, Joël Barre occupied various roles in the medium-range air-to-ground missile programme”, so he has enlarged the scope of the target. “From 1988 to 1991, he held a variety of responsibilities in the Helios optical observation satellite programme“, so now, he is above the stratosphere. “In 1991, he became director of the Helios programme“, what a quick advancement. “In 1995, he was appointed deputy head of the strategic and space systems technical department“, he has reached the universe. “He was appointed as the first architect of the “command, communication, control and intelligence” forces’ system in February 1997“, back to earth to spy on it. “In September 1997, he joined CNES, the French space agency, as director of programmes“, so he has now the power to choose the orientations of research, not for a private laboratory, but for whole France public programs. “In June 2001, he joined Snecma as head of space operations in the Rocket Propulsion division“, how about sending some rockets. “In March 2002, he became chief executive of Snecma’s Space Engines division“, machines are weak, lets fix it. “In July 2007, he returned to CNES as director of the Guiana Space Centre“, he takes control of the whole facility (and only facility of France). “In July 2012, Joël Barre was appointed CNES Associate Director General“, he is now just one step away from the podium. “Joël Barre was appointed Chief executive of the Direction générale de l’Armement (DGA) by the French Cabinet on 9th August 2017“, he has reached the podium.

Some people would say “what a guy!” and that’s a way to see it, but let’s put on him a rain coat with a funny hat and it is not the same guy. It becomes the guy with diamonds on his heals and some luxury perfumes. We are not sure if his butt has been already tattooed but this guy is kinda racketing people. “Money, give me money“, he may have two taletellers to commission his requests, those taletellers did not write the report themselves. They just translated on paper what other people had to say, and its not sure that they interviewed the janitors. “Money, give me money” could have been heard from the streets, that’s were people are usually desperate to eat, but this guy, Joël Barre, taps his business in Paris. The underworld in Paris is as deep as the sky.

So, where is the war? Is France right now engaged in a conflict? What kind of conflict is it? What kind of forces is that? What is the level of the materials of those forces? The answer is a military space program.

Defense investment

The critical importance of defense investment having been recalled, it must unfortunately be noted that the French framework is still too unfavorable for it.

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So now, it’s the French framework and it’s kinda understandable. When you go visit “Les Halles” in Paris, on the North side, you have the Saint Eustache church , on the South, you have the Ariane Espace store, where they sell toys miniatures of rockets, on the East side, you have the gangs and prostitutes, and on the West side is the Bourse of Commerce. The French industry of armament has established an office right there. Then two senators write a report saying that “the French framework is still too unfavorable for it“. Let me ask about the strategy of having Ariane Espace in Les Halles. Is the military strategy impaired or is it the space program? The public can seriously question the ability ever landing a rocket, rather it is the Moon or Mars and the question shall be if the industry of armament is really the right place for a rocket program, or even the DGA? At first place, is the “defense investment” really being used for the right purpose? Is France really able to choose the right friends?

Drowning the fish

much work has been done on the need to encourage defense innovation. This awareness was notably reflected in the creation in 2018 of the Defense Innovation Agency (AID).

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A new Agency. France is at the brink of bankruptcy and they create a new agency, what means people, offices, computers and we have some information about all that. In ECODEF n°182 of May 2021:

In 2020, the total amount of payments from the Ministry of the Armed Forces to its suppliers amounted to € 22.0 billion, up + 6.1% compared to 2019. The amount paid only to companies resident in France is 18 € bn, or 82% of total payments. As a whole France, there are nearly 19,000 “regional” SMEs supplying the Ministry of the Armed Forces in 2020, for an associated payment amount of € 1.7 billion. The number of jobs linked to payments from the Ministry of the Armed Forces to SMEs is estimated at nearly 8,000, a number that is stable compared to 2019 and this in a context marked by the health crisis.

ECODEF n°182 of May 2021

If I do the math, the Ministry of Armed Forces pays € 22 billion, € 4 billion goes to foreign companies, € 18 billions go to national companies, among which are 19,000 SME that receive a total combined of € 1.7 billion.

• 1.7 / 19,000 = € 89,473.68 as the average of each contract.

• 19,000 / 8,000 = 2.375 SME is the number of companies that 1 military personal must manage to proceed the payments of € 89,473.68 each. One military personnel manages an average € 212,500 portfolio of companies.

• € 18 billions – € 1.7 billion = € 16.3 billions distributed to only 45 companies. In ECODEF n°133 of September 2019, we learn more about those 45 companies.

80% OF MILITARY TURNOVER IS REALIZED BY LARGE COMPANIES
Due to the industrial dynamics of the armaments sector centered around MOI (Maîtres d’œuvre industriels : Airbus, Arquus, Dassault Aviation, MBDA, Naval group, Nexter, Safran et Thales.), 45 large companies (GE) concentrate the major part of the military turnover (80%). The armaments segment for legal units of these GEs represents on average 29% of their turnover, with the remaining 71% coming from civilian markets. Intermediate-sized companies (ETI) contribute 16% to the military turnover achieved on the national territory. As for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), they represent 79% of companies in the sector and 4% of military turnover. More than half of the companies involved in the production process of military equipment intervene only marginally: less than 10% of their turnover. Companies whose military exceeds half of their turnover represent 9.4% of the units concerned. The activity of these companies accounts for 61.5% of military turnover, or 18.2 billion euros.

ECODEF n°133 of September 2019

45 large companies are being paid € 16.3 billions for 29% of their turnover. There are 8000 military employees to manage 19,000 + 45 = 19,045 companies payments in total and about 79% of those employees are managing a portfolio of 2.375 companies for €212,500 budget. With all those numbers, the senators don’t tell how much the AID is costing in average for paying 8000 military accounting clerks, but those payrolls are not included in the $ 22 billions armament budget, nor the Ministry of Finance payrolls.

88% OF TURNOVER IS MADE BY A COMPANY CORE
By schematizing, the defense industries sector has two levels. A “periphery” made up of companies present in several markets and marginally on markets linked to military activity, or 40% of companies in the sector for 12% of the turnover total business. A “core” which has a significant share of its turnover in the military. It includes the manufacturers of propelled explosive devices, materials military electronics, aeronautical equipment, land and naval, specialized subcontractors, engineering in energy matters with a military vocation, maintenance in operational condition and dismantling companies.

ECODEF n°133 of September 2019

The core, was translated with Google from the French word “noyau”, which is also a reminder of “Le Milieu“, what refers to the French Mafia.

Pimps army

More generally, there is a multifaceted and complex framework of innovation support systems. Some are general, such as the research tax credit (CIR), others more specifically target defense innovations.

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Panpan cucu

C’est pour un sondage

Economic intelligence under the supervision of the DGA

Astrid and Rapid

The RAPID program (support scheme for dual innovation) has been in existence since 2009. It tends to support the dual innovation of SMEs and mid-cap companies, in a proportion that can go up to 80% of dual innovation expenditure. Since 2015, the endowment of the program has been 50 million euros per year.

The Definvest fund follows a different logic. It is no longer a question here of offsetting part of the R&D costs, but of consolidating innovative start-ups, SMEs and mid-cap companies in the defense sector by increasing their own funds. These minority stakes, carried by the Public Investment Bank (BPI France), are between 0.5 and 5 million euros, for a maximum period of 12 years. The envelope for this fund has so far been 50 million euros over 5 years. The Minister of the Armed Forces announced on June 9, 2020 her intention to double this envelope to increase it to 100 million euros, in response to the weakening of companies by the covid-19 crisis. This increase is welcome. However, the device remains far below the needs of this part of the BITD.

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Casino

Participation in rounds of funding of 100 to 150 million euros could go up to 20 million euros.

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AID virus

This project shows that Minarm, and in particular AID, have recognized the reality of the need, which is to be welcomed. Unfortunately, we have to fear that this welcome envelope will again be much lower than the needs.

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The growing need for money

d) The rise of upstream study programs
The 2019-2025 LPM provided for a one-third increase in appropriations for upstream study programs (PEA), included in the budget program 144.
Credits are set to rise from around 720 million euros to one billion euros in 2022.

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The magic of European funds

The great novelty of recent years in the financing of defense innovation naturally remains the entry into this sector of the European Union.

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The Red line

to reduce the ambition initially displayed by the European Commission. Our committee has expressed a strong position of principle on this subject, which in its view constitutes a real red line.

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The Senate

The Senate is the second “chamber” of the French Parliament, the first being the National Assembly. To designate the fact that the French are represented by two chambers, we speak of “bicameralism”.

Both Houses of Parliament have the same role: to scrutinize and pass laws and to monitor government action.

But unlike the National Assembly, the Senate also defends the interests of municipalities, departments and regions, what are called “local authorities”.

The National Assembly, for its part, has the last word on the passage of laws. This means that it is she who decides in case the Senate and the Assembly do not agree.

WHEN DATES BICAMERISM?
Since 1795, France has almost always known this system of two chambers forming the Parliament.
The true ancestor of the Senate as we know it today is the Senate of the Third Republic which was created in 1875. Like today’s senators, the senators of the Third Republic were elected by suffrage. universal indirect and represented, in addition to citizens, local communities.

http://junior.senat.fr/6-12-ans/le-senat-cest-quoi.html

The gravedigger and the courtier

MM. Pascal ALLIZARD and Michel BOUTANT

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Private defense investment

When self-financing and public mechanisms, precious but insufficient, do not ensure the development of companies, and therefore the sustainability of their activity and their investments, they should be able to turn to private investment.

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Banks don’t have the same logic

Our attention has been drawn to the fact that when it comes to the defense industry, banks do not play their economic and social role of financing economic activity.

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Le rideau et le ouistiti

Found the culprit of absurdity: https://viadeo.journaldunet.com/p/pascal-allizard-804608

The normal cycle and the banks

On the other hand, it is worth emphasizing the particularly unfavorable treatment to which BITD companies are subjected. In the name of an extensive and misguided application of the rules of regulatory compliance, many French financial players refuse to finance the development of BITD companies, breaking the normal cycle of company growth.

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The compliance Act

extensive and misguided application of the rules

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Dad and Mom

Failing that, the Government asked the two large groups Thalès and Safran to examine the possibility of taking over Photonis. We can see that this is a stopgap. There is no industrial logic in these groups joining this innovative SME, whose activity exceeds their own field of specialization. Moreover, in such a context, Thales and Safran would find themselves in a weak position to discuss the price of the company with its current owner, the Ardian fund. Finally, it does not say that the integration of an ETI into a large global group can be done while preserving its agility, its specificities and its capacity for innovation; there is even reason to believe the opposite, all the more so if it is a question of a takeover by two groups.

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Control on companies

What the Photonis example therefore illustrates above all is that the French framework:

– does not offer a large-scale institutional solution, which would, for example, take the form of a sovereign fund combining public and private credits to take stakes in strategic companies and thus facilitate their round tables. Several times mentioned, such a development capital system is yet to be created;
– does not allow the ownership of a company to be separated from the control of its strategic activities, unlike what exists in other countries and in particular in the United States with in particular the mechanism of Special Security Agreement (SSA).

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SPECIAL SECURITY AGREEMENT

The Special Security Agreement (SSA) is used when a company is owned or controlled by a foreign entity. The SSA has access limitations. Access to proscribed information by a company cleared under a SSA may require that the Government Contracting Activity complete a National Interest Determination to determine that the release of proscribed information (Top Secret, Sensitive Compartmented Information, Special Access Programs, COMSEC or Restricted Data/Formerly Restricted Data) to the company shall not harm the national security interest of the United States. The SCA and SSA are substantially identical arrangements that:

– Imposes substantial industrial security and export control measures within an institutionalized set of corporate practices and procedures;
– Requires active involvement of senior management and certain Board members in security matters (who must be cleared, US citizens) (Officer/Directors and Outside Directors);
– Provide for the establishment of a Government Security Committee (GSC) to oversee classified and export controlled matters (the GSC consists of cleared Officer/Directors and
– Outside Directors), and;
– Preserve the foreign shareholder’s right to be represented on the Board of Directors with a direct voice in the business management of the company while denying unauthorized access to classified information. (Inside Director(s)).

https://www.dami.army.pentagon.mil/site/IndustSec/FOCI-MI.aspx

Serious strategic mistake

The BITD is a case study of industrial policy, or rather, of the risk that the absence of a clear, assumed and consensual industrial policy can pose to the Nation. If we still have an BITD, when we have lost large swathes of our industry, it is because our sovereignty requires that we retain a capacity to produce our own weapons to defend ourselves.

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Ultra-militarization

But, in a context of accelerating innovation, our BITD can only be maintained if it has a sufficient market to amortize its development costs.

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Zeus

Businesses are born and grow to meet a demand.
The demand that justifies the existence of the BITD is very particular: it is the operational need for the forces. This operational need itself stems from decisions that are entirely political in nature: in the current French system, it is the President of the Republic, head of the armed forces, who commits the forces.
Therefore, the BITD is both a consequence and an instrument of sovereignty. What gives the BITD its vital importance for the Nation is not its economic weight (certainly considerable) or its technological excellence (which still places us, in this field, among the best in the world): the importance of the BITD comes from the fact that it is an indispensable element of our freedom.

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The three pillars of French freedom

Our freedom is based on three pillars:
– a political will to preserve France’s vital interests at all costs;

– armed forces made up of women and men who have made the ultimate sacrifice in advance to accomplish the mission. And no one can doubt the determination of the French soldiers, sailors and airmen, whom we see day after day exposing their health and their lives in operations, for the defense of France and the protection of the French. We express to them here our immense gratitude;

– equipment of the forces that allows them to accomplish the mission. The BITD exists for that, and it is only a matter of visiting any factory or laboratory in our defense industry to measure this tension towards the operational need.

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Technological handicap

The second way to finance the R&D of our BITD is to find export customers. This is a subject that is too often reduced to its sole economic dimension. Arms exports would be justified by economic activity and the positive contribution to the trade balance that they would induce.
These elements are correct, but they are not the main thing. Arms exports are first of all justified by the fact that they are essential for financing the investments which will ensure that our forces retain, in the future, the technological advantage, or at least not to have technological handicap.

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Capitulation and defrocking

The national market cannot allow the development costs of modern equipment to be amortized (unless we imagine a doubling of our defense budget).

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Vaffanculo

At present, the European market does not offer sufficient outlets either, as many of our European partners primarily buy American equipment (in addition to what they may be able to produce themselves). In this respect, improvements are nevertheless possible in the medium term. One could imagine that with the gradual constitution of a real European BITD (BITDE), of which the FEDef is perhaps the embryo, the Europeans base their defense on European material.
Finally, in addition to the need to provide our forces with equipment of the highest level, there is the importance of the arms markets in the strategic partnerships, and even the alliances that France is forging with certain friendly countries.

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French innocence

When we compare the legal and regulatory framework for the protection of sovereignty in France and in other friendly countries, such as the United States or even the United Kingdom or Germany, we sometimes have the impression of a disturbing French innocence.

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Begging

France would have everything to gain from developing one or more sovereign funds with a strategic vocation, to allow the growth of its technological nuggets.

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Who is in focus?

It could also be fruitful to draw on existing arrangements in the United States to dissociate ownership of a strategic enterprise from control of elements of sovereignty.

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France is not developing its strategy to analyze China’s offensive techniques in terms of industry and therefore place itself in strategic competition with China. No, France places itself in strategic competition with the United States and decides to observe them, to copy them and to compete with them.

Anti-Americanism is the French military strategy that would make it possible to attract foreign funds to finance the development of technological weapons that it proposes to sell abroad to counter American competition. We wonder who is the target, against whom is France developing weapons?

France would have everything to gain from developing one or more sovereign funds with a strategic vocation, to allow the growth of its technological nuggets.
It could also be fruitful to draw on existing arrangements in the United States to dissociate ownership of a strategic enterprise from control of elements of sovereignty.

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The boat sinks

We expect the 2021 finance bill to naturally follow the trajectory of the LPM, but to come, wherever possible, to complement and enrich it. We are well aware that the public finances situation is very deteriorated. But it must be remembered again that it is about investing, and only where there is an operational need. It should be remembered that the economic and social crisis which is hitting the whole world following the pandemic has not reduced the threats, quite the contrary. In this disturbed and dangerous context, lowering our guard would be a terrible strategic misunderstanding.

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French strategy

The LPM is due to be updated next year. This will be a major moment, allowing us to appreciate the Government’s strategic vision and its ability to honor the commitments made before the Senate, our forces and France.
We need to have the courage to approach this moment with ambition, and therefore the courage to explain to the French why an intensification of our defense effort is essential, if we want to be able to defend our interests today, and ensure our security tomorrow.

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The grasshopper and the ant

Hurry up. Our BITD bravely faced the health crisis. He must now be helped to overcome the economic crisis. Because it is long-term, because the threats sometimes seem remote, the defense effort is often the great sacrifice during periods of budget scarcity. It is essential to avoid this pitfall in the coming months, because if we are left behind now, we will not catch up.
The revival and consolidation of our BITD must be based on two pillars: the dynamism of public orders, both for R&D and for production; and the establishment of adequate tools to finance business development (strategic funds on the one hand; and mechanisms to authorize foreign equity investments while preserving our sovereignty).
The Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces intends to mobilize with determination on these two pillars.

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The two pillars of France

Hurry up. Our BITD bravely faced the health crisis. He must now be helped to overcome the economic crisis. Because it is long-term, because the threats sometimes seem remote, the defense effort is often the great sacrifice during periods of budget scarcity. It is essential to avoid this pitfall in the coming months, because if we are left behind now, we will not catch up.
The revival and consolidation of our BITD must be based on two pillars: the dynamism of public orders, both for R&D and for production; and the establishment of adequate tools to finance business development (strategic funds on the one hand; and mechanisms to authorize foreign equity investments while preserving our sovereignty).
The Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces intends to mobilize with determination on these two pillars.

Page 25

Conclusion

“Coc-rico”, “artificial smoke”, “the puppet”, “the armyworm”, are as much many drawings I am going to make and which are not listed above. They are not directly related to the Senate document n°605, but they describe a context for the industry of armament. During the first lecture of the document n°605, I laughed out loud, but I did not record myself, and I wish I did, so the second lecture was taped and I am planning on publishing it. It’s in French/English and I believe that this record exercises a fundamental right of the democracies which is to tell the people and let them free to make their own opinion. I am not trying to influence anybody in anyway, but I am trying to tell people that just like me, they shall read, analyse and maybe discuss with each other and not let the politicians to have those discussions for them. A fundamental right for the democracies is the right to talk to each other without fears.

I remember when I was in Prague the weeks before the velvet revolution, we were with my friends spending time in restaurants and cafes, talking about Prague and its beauties. We were re-inventing the world to change it for best (or at least better), and this change only happens when people keep looking for truth and keep talking. The truth does not come easy, this is why we go to schools, to learn how to read, to question and to analyse. We have the chance, now, to have access to thousands documents that previous generations did not have and if younger generations don’t take a chance to read those documents, the world is lost and their responsibility is as much lethal as those who are cutting trees and letting species extinct.

We only have one planet. Don’t let the politicians do what priests have done with the Bible. They give the public one version. If we are given the chance to go to school, it is to read in between the lines and discover the message. We have been given the gift of scripture and scripture is everywhere. In France, the authority of the Church is centralized around the cardinals, while in the US, anyone can open a church. Me, tomorrow, I can open a church as a non-profit to deliver a message if there are few people willing to listen and I feel that the people in the US have taken this chance as a right while Europeans are still struggling with old ghosts. One of the many things that shocked me in the US was the facility with which Americans sing. They open their mouth, and they sing fluently with joy. I feel that in France, I have been condemned to silence and not only me, people just sing what’s popular, like a routine. In the US, people improvise and bring their guts in the melody, their body is free and they move. In France, people are stiff and encombrant, even for themselves. The soul is not connected to the bones and the muscles.

There is so much we can learn by opening our minds. Americans are not trying to make people Americans. They are trying to make people understand why they sing, and they laugh and dance, why on Sunday morning, everybody gather in the parks to have barbecue and music. Freedom is not a piece of paper, it is not a pass through a line. Freedom is a spirit.

In 2019, I had a real hard time and last year, I was still ready to giving up. It was the presidential elections and I was hopeless. I remember complaining to my mom that I had lost humor, that my legendary humor had gone and I was frightened to crack a joke and not been understood. This morning, after making this website, making a roadmap for my drawings, writing down my workplan and going through the server problems, I realized that indeed, I had an excess of humor. I was trying to hide how sad I was inside and to boost myself, I was joking. I was trying by any mean available to make myself smile because I could not understand what was going on with the French mafia. After 6 years in the US, I don’t feel the need any more to joke and since Autumn 2018, I don’t have any more nightmares. I shall celebrate being sober as much as just now, being sober from humor. We are October 4th, 2021, it is 2:48PM, and I am going to be happy if I don’t laugh from drama. There is nothing to laugh about.

Artistically, this date might reveal a change. Instead of having the need to turn everything into a derision, I might actually paint the things as they are, and this is something I have learnt from the United-States. In France, you wear a suit to go to the post office. In the US, you can go with your pyjamas and nobody will ever say anything. Some bully might laugh, who are bullied in return. Above all, people here want to be free and if that means going to the post office with your pyjamas, then it is an act of freedom. People here are not frightened to be who they are, and this is something I have learnt too, because people here accept the challenge given to them with life. One day they might be poor, then they work hard and become richer and people will help them. When you go to a store in the United-States, you ask for something that the store does not have, they will send you to the other store that might have it. In France, they would just deny to help rather than having you going to the next store.

What I mean is that people make their institutions, their laws, their army and their industries and all what is going on is part of their mind, the way they put themselves in a box and reinforce the walls of that box. People were not blinded. They blinded themselves, because some people believe that as long as they are good, then it is good. I remember several times when I was in France, I was struggling, and battling and trying to survive the many attacks that targeted me, and it’s like a bomb explode in your house and people are still passing. They have cars, they have homes, they are busy making a career and you are there with a life that stopped. When I arrived in the United-States, I felt like a zombie because that is exactly what I was, a walking dead and before you realize that, it takes time. I remember in the past, each time things seemed to be better, I was like “this is temporary, it is not going to last, do as much as you can” and then they would hit again. When I arrived in the US, I wondered when this was going to stop. I have learnt in 2018, 2019, 2020 and now 2021 that it is never going to stop, that’s how they are. It is only me who can change my perception. I have learnt to live one day after another and make everything I can to enjoy it, and after so many years of struggle, I believe that it was my gift. I make plans, this workplan is a proof of it. I imagine what I want to say, but then comes the marathon where everything is endurance to resist adversity. Publishing my work has marked every step where I have been able put my name on my drawings, my writings and my posts.

So as to say, I started this website because I had something to say, and I am going to say it. I will add more drawings to the list above. I might draw in a different order. It usually depends of my inspiration, the time available and my mood, but I have the materials, paper, pens and a wonderful studio. I would strongly recommend this French mafia to leave me alone and not harm me (or people around me), because just now, I am stuck for a while with the Senate document n°605. If I would be bothered, I might move to other documents where there is more to say and posthumous activities would be even worse. I would make sure the public know that I am not suicidal.

To finish this page, I just want to add a new category in the shop where I am going to sell my drawings and a new category in the menu where I am going to write the storyboard of a movie. I will invite Youtubers to participate this movie, or this series of short-movies, and I will invite my readers to watch, comment and vote on them. I hope that this workplan will inspire many cartoonists to sparkle the light in people’s mind that there must be something that we can do to make this Earth more livable.