The Intelligence College in Europe participated for the third time in the international Paris Defence and Strategy Forum, organised by the Defence Academy of the École militaire (ACADEM). This forum, which follows on from the more nationally oriented event La Fabrique Défense (LFD), where the Intelligence College was also present, gained increased significance this year.

We took part in this international event organised by our ACADEM partner through three academic activities:

On 24 March, to mark the entry of the French Ministry of Defence think tank IRSEM into our academic network and to promote our European academic network ahead of our upcoming Munich academic conference, we organised an academic roundtable entitled “Intelligence failures: how to avoid or address them”. It was moderated by Dr Clément Renault (IRSEM) and featured three specialists in the field: Dr Dan Lomas (University of Nottingham and the Oxford Intelligence Group), a specialist on the Butler Report on the Iraq War; Professor Philippe Silberzahn (Emlyon business school), author, inter alia, of "Constructing Cassandra"; and Dr Bjørn Grønning (NORIS), author of one of the most recent non anglo-saxon studies on 16 cases of intelligence failures, published by Edinburgh University Press ("Contemporary Intelligence Warning Cases").

https://youtu.be/qItICyj6gEA?si=dQLV1bDfbvDQdIhO

On 24 and 25 March, as has been the case since 2022 (LFD, then PDSF 2024, 2025 and 2026), the winners of the Intelligence College-supported Lithuanian outreach initiative “Intelligence Officer for a Week” were invited to the forum. Since its inception, the College has been part of the selection board and provides the first prize in order to support and promote this excellent initiative. The Lithuanian intelligence community and the Institute of International Relations and Political Science at Vilnius University, led by Dr Margarita Šešelgytė, offer students the opportunity to discover the work of an intelligence analyst - an excellent outreach initiative that could be extended to other countries.

Presentation of the College and its activities during an interview conducted by Etienne Girard (L’Express) in the “Café stratégique” session on 26 March.

https://youtu.be/blCFEkqaUkA?si=SUGlYHxliW_4h7Qv

In 2025, we delivered the same number of activities, with as a highlight the keynote speech by Dr Gerhard Conrad on the challenges facing European intelligence, ahead of the ICE German Presidency.

The Intelligence College was pleased to welcome a significant number of colleagues and partners from intelligence services and academia, and to showcase its achievements - particularly in the academic field - which will culminate in June 2026 in a major academic conference in Germany and the first-ever European Intelligence Prize. The strong attendance at our roundtable, with a fully packed Castex conference room, clearly demonstrates the growing interest in a European intelligence culture.

From 3 to 5 February 2026, the first “Security and Intelligence Awareness” course took place in Brussels, following a pilot session held last year.

Building on participants’ feedback and the observations of the course organisers, an enhanced version was developed, adopting a more direct and pedagogical approach centred on a clear message: because of our access and responsibilities, we are all potential targets for hostile services or organisations. How do they operate? How can an approach be identified? How can we protect ourselves? Who should be contacted in case of doubt?

The decision to deliver a more pragmatic and purposeful course, focused on highly practical guidance, proved particularly relevant. The programme was met with outstanding success, as reflected in the very positive feedback received from participants.

The College extends its sincere thanks to its partners — the Mihai Viteazul National Intelligence Academy (ANIMV) in Bucharest and the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) — without whom this initiative would not have been possible. Thanks are also due to all speakers from the European institutions and the College’s academic network.

We look forward to welcoming participants again in the second half of 2026 for the next edition.

As part of Germany’s Presidency of the Intelligence College in Europe in 2026, the Permanent Secretariat was pleased to welcome, on Friday 16 January, the new Director General of Germany’s Federal Internal Service (BfV) Mr Sinan Selen.

The visit provided an opportunity to reaffirm Germany’s strong commitment, both in general and through the BfV in particular. This support is reflected in staffing contributions and regular training courses and is further highlighted this year through Germany’s Presidency of the Intelligence College. The President also reiterated the importance of strengthening multilateral cooperation not only at the operational level, but also through strategic dialogue and broader operational exchange, facilitated by the platform the College provides to its European members and partners.

This Presidency includes seven seminars and events throughout the year, including a seminar hosted by the BfV and an Academic Conference. It will also coincide with the election of the College’s first non-French Director. This milestone marks the full maturation and shared European ownership of a project initially launched as a French presidential initiative following the Sorbonne Speech of September 2017, and which has since developed into a lasting, fully European endeavour.

The Permanent Secretariat, and its leadership in particular, warmly thanks the President for his visit and looks forward to working together throughout Germany’s 2026 Presidency.

The Permanent Secretariat of the Intelligence College in Europe welcomes the start of the German Presidency of the Intelligence College in Europe and its theme, “Intelligence and Science”. Please find here the Presidency letter from Philipp Wolff, Coordinator of the Federal Intelligence Services and Head of Directorate-General 7 at the Federal Chancellery.

The Permanent Secretariat of the Intelligence College in Europe has been contributing to and supporting the activities of the Intelligence Chair at Sciences Po Aix for the past three years. During this time, it has shared with certificate and master’s students insights into the workings of European and EU intelligence, while also presenting the missions of the College in support of a strategic European intelligence culture.

This year, the Intelligence College in Europe was delighted to take part in the launch of the new academic year of the Sciences Po Aix Intelligence Chair!

A warm thank you goes to the new Director of Sciences Po Aix, Dr. Alissia Lefebure, to General Cholley, and to Dr. Walter Bruyère-Ostells of the Intelligence Chair, with whom fruitful discussions were held.

Since this year, the College is proud to count the very dynamic Sciences Po Aix Intelligence Chair as part of its European academic network, alongside 43 other universities and institutions (so far). Sciences Po Aix is one of the four French institutions in this European network. We hope that some of the excellent Sciences Po Aix students will take part in the College’s European competition, or that researchers will respond to the academic call for papers and join the 3rd Academic Conference, which will take place in June 2026 in Germany!

From 9 to 11 September 2025, the Joint Annual Conference of the International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE) Global and its European Chapter (IAFIE-EC) was hosted at King Juan Carlos University (URJC) in Madrid-Aranjuez.

As in Copenhagen (2023) and Malta (2024), the Intelligence College in Europe (IntelCollege) was once again actively present, drawing on its exceptional Academic Network to showcase the emerging common European intelligence culture. IntelCollege contributed to this renowned intelligence conference on three occasions:

• 9 September – IntelCollege facilitated the participation of the EU SATCEN Director, who delivered one of the opening keynote speeches, illustrating European cooperation in the fields of GEOINT and IMINT.
• 10 September – The IntelCollege Academic Network organised the first European Roundtable on the Future of Intelligence Training in Europe. Six senior representatives from five of its 14 Intelligence Education and Training Academies and Centres (Croatia, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Romania) presented their national perspectives, highlighting their engagement with academia and offering IAFIE members a unique insight into their activities.
• 11 September – The Academic Network hosted a spotlight session dedicated to a Lessons Learned exercise on the publication of the Common European Intelligence Culture special edition of the International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence (IJICI, Routledge).

These activities demonstrated the dynamic development of the IntelCollege Academic Network, which is now preparing to launch an Academic Award, establish working groups, publish new research, and host its own ambitious Academic Conference in Munich in 2026.

The Roundtable on intelligence training marked a true “first”: bringing together senior European managers of intelligence training facilities, who traditionally meet bilaterally. The event revealed a clear potential for more regular exchanges among intelligence schools. Members of the Academic Network began discussions on how training institutions facing similar challenges could share lessons learned, how a joint research agenda might foster a common European intelligence culture, and how academic insights could be further integrated into training curricula.

As in Copenhagen and Malta, IAFIE once again provided a unique forum where academics and practitioner-scholars from Europe, the Americas, and beyond could meet, exchange ideas, and foster dialogue in a constructive and collegial atmosphere.

IntelCollege warmly thanks IAFIE Chairwoman Dr. Kathy Pherson, IAFIE European Chapter President Dr. Irena Chiru, and Dr. Rubén Arcos (URJC) for organising such a well-structured and inspiring conference.

👉 For more information on the IntelCollege Academic Award and the Call for Papers, please click here

The Intelligence College in Europe has officially become an associate member of ACADEM (Académie de Défense de l’Ecole Militaire - Defence Academy of the Military School), formalised by a signing between Army Corps General Hervé de Courrèges, Director of IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de Défense Nationale), and Mr François Fischer, Director of the College.

This signing took place at the conclusion of a morning full of exchanges: following a roundtable on French Intelligence Studies with the participation of Messrs Philippe Baumard and Floran Vadillo, young doctoral candidates had the opportunity to present their work during a session chaired by Dr Clément Renault.

The Intelligence College in Europe (ICE), an active member of the Military School’s ecosystem, is thus honoured to formally join the ACADEM network. The College already maintains excellent working relationships with four very active members of ACADEM, in addition to ACADRE (Académie du Renseignement), IHEDN, IHEMI (Institut des Hautes Etudes du Ministère de l’Intérieur), and IRSEM (Institut de Recherche Stratégique de l’Ecole Militaire - IRSEM Paris and IRSEM Europe), and will continue its active involvement in PDSF 2026, as it did in 2024 and 2025.

We would like to extend our special thanks to General de Courrèges, Nicolas Bronard, the entire ACADEM team, as well as all the guests who contributed to a morning that was both rich and engaging!

Our thanks also go to Dr Philippe Baumard and Floran Vadillo for their active participation in the first roundtable, to Dr Sébastien-Yves Laurent who presented and signed his latest book, winner of ACADRE’s 2024 grand prize, and to the young researchers of the IRSEM roundtable chaired by Dr Clément Renault.

https://youtu.be/dU7Ai7DDL0g

Nearly one year after the first Intelligence College in Europe’s Outreach event in Brussels, to promote the Routledge Handbook on Disinformation drafted by four of its Academics, ICE had the pleasure to organise a second Academic Network activity on Monday 31^st March !

Hosted by the French MoD Think Tank (IRSEM) and his very dynamic Director, Mr Philippe Perchoc, this event marked the launch of the first, major, academic achievement of the newly established ICE Academic Advisory Board, a special edition of the global peer review “International journal of Intelligence and Counter Intelligence (IJICI)” of Jan Goldman.

The theme, totally adapted to the new EU Strategies, launched with the Niniistö report, and to the new “Security Commission” concept, was “Towards a common European Intelligence Culture !”

The event, which has mobilized despite the strikes, 60 attendees, was organised around two main actions, preceded by a welcome coffee :

• An High Level roundtable, for an Intelligence Policy discussion around the theme, During the first event with Director Daniel Markic, from EU INTCEN and SIAC, representing the EU Strategic intelligence community, Mrs Natalie Pauwels, HoU in the Enlargment DG, representing the EU clients and Mr Bart Raeymaekers, HoU Security in DG HRS, representing the EU Security community, moderated by ICE.PS Director.
• An academic spotlight event, moderated by researcher Cristina Ivan, with 3 active members of the Academic Board :
  • the President of the Intelligence Studies Section (ISS) of the International Studies Association (ISA), Dr Ruben Arcos,
  • Dr DH. Tuinier, from the Universities of Breda and Leiden, representing the Netherland Intelligence community and a recent author of a very interesting research on the role of trust and inter-personal relations in intelligence partnership
  • Dr Irena Chiru, Head of the International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE) European Chapter, manager of the Romanian Intel Academy  Academic Spotlight: New Directions in European Intelligence Studies
  • At this dynamic panel moderated by Dr. Cristina Ivan, leading academics explored the future of intelligence education in Europe.

The Speakers shared their insights on:

• Joint European intelligence curricula
• Integrating technology and new perspectives in training
• Building resilience against hybrid threats and cognitive challenges
• The impact of AI and ethical frameworks in intelligence education

This session marked a significant step toward envisioning a collaborative, resilient, and future-ready European intelligence education framework and reaffirmed the value of academic dialogue in addressing shared security challenges.

The High Level roundtable has given, before a nice Q&A session with the public, the occasion to the Director of EU INTCEN to insist on the timeliness aspect (delivering a timely intel-based service to the good decision-makers in a protected and trustworthy manner), on the increased demand for intelligence in Brussels and on the increasing impact of intelligence, thanks to regular briefings to the HRVP, in PSC and to the Foreign Affairs and Defence ministers. To continue in this impetus, the “SIAC Strengthening” and better secure communications means will be key. 

Natalie Pauwels has developed her, informed, vision on how to do better on some precise topics, explaining the growing needs be it in security awareness, trainings or in intelligence support, insisting on the FIMI threats in candidate countries.

Mr Raeymaekers has highlighted the future needs on intelligence from a security perspective and presented, in the name of Ilkka Salmi (DDG HRS), the Commission’s future plans for more Resilience and Security. The driving idea is to evolve from a ”firefighting mentality” to a more holistic approach, an “all security cycle”. For this purpose, the creation of a new Integrated Security operation center (ISOC) will be key.

During the Q&A phase, were addressed, inter alia, the need to make some progress in terms of secure environment (creating a “trusted” environment with smooth, secure, inter-institutional communication means, more widespread clearances,…), in terms of visibility of the existing EU intelligence & Security bodies and the need, at least as important, of a robust training program.

As you see, an important discussion for the Intelligence College in Europe, which is already working with the Single Intelligence Analysis Capacity (SIAC, regrouping EU INTCEN and its military counterpart) with the various EU Security branches and with the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) !

If you add to this high quality and rich intelligence policy roundtable, the lessons learned from the Special edition of the IJICI review plus the conclusions of the scientific debate on how to use better the existing ESDC /ICE bodies to enhance the needed common culture, a very rich Academic Outreach Journey !

Thanks to all the attendees, true to their engagement despite strikes and thank again to the IRSEM Europe team, without who this event will not have taken place !

On the 22nd of January 2025, the newly appointed Head of the EU Civilian Intelligence Center (EU INTCEN) inaugurated this year’s joint IFRI and Intelligence College in Europe “Intelligence Cycle.”

The former Director-General of the Croatian Intelligence Service, Mr. Daniel Markic, discussed the opportunities and challenges “Towards a European Intelligence Community” in front of the regular audience of the IFRI Brown Bag Seminar.

His clear, strategic, and forward-looking speech, delivered in remarkably fluent French, was followed by precise questions from an engaged audience.

ICE Permanent Secretariat extends its gratitude to the EU INTCEN Director, who emphasized the importance of the existing EU intelligence and security framework, the demands placed on EU institutions, and the need to strengthen the intelligence and security culture in Brussels with the support of the Intelligence College in Europe.

For context, on the 23rd of October 2024, ICE and the EU’s strategic intelligence directors (both civilian, Mr. Markic, and military, General BAEV), united within the Single Intelligence Analysis Capacity (SIAC), signed an official cooperation agreement.