France Is Integrating Cyberspace into Its National Defense System

The General Secretariat for Defence and National Security (SGDSN) of France has published its National Cybersecurity Strategy for 2026–2030, which sets out the state’s medium-term priorities in response to the growing cyber threats to citizens, institutions, economy, and critical infrastructure.

The document determines five key directions. The first is to create Europe’s largest cybersecurity talent pool by increasing the number of students and professionals, developing specialized programs in EU countries, and promoting staff mobility between member states. The second – to strengthen the cyber resilience of the economy and social sphere, improve the ability of the state and business to recover quickly after large-scale attacks, and introduce mandatory security standards for critical infrastructure based on a nationwide digital risk management system.

The third direction involves deterring cyber threats by demonstrating defensive capabilities, increasing the cost of attacks for potential adversaries, strengthening accountability for cybercrimes, and developing early threat detection tools. The fourth involves controlling and protecting the digital environment of the defense sector, in particular by strengthening the role of the Cyber Defense Command (COMCYBER), integrating cyber operations into military doctrine, and investing in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and other promising technologies. The fifth is maintaining cybersecurity at the European and international levels through coordination within the EU and promotion of international norms of responsible state behaviour.

The strategy marks France’s switching from a fragmented response to incidents to a systemic model of cyber deterrence and preventive risk management, while establishing cyberspace as a full-fledged dimension of national defense. The focus on a large personnel reserve and European mobility of specialists also has a geopolitical dimension aimed at reducing Europe’s technological dependence.