March 23, 2018

Former DGSE "Spy" says France has lost industrial sovereignty to the US

The French external intelligence agency DGSE is famous for gathering economic secrets from opponents, like Russia. [1]

Like the current CIA and former Mossad directors, DGSE has a relatively high political profile. In that regard some of DGSE's former leaders are politically outspoken.

Cyceon, a French political and economic magazine reports (with extra links in blue from Pete)  March 22, 2018:

"France has lost industrial sovereignty to the USA, says a former DGSE"


Citing the example of Rafale fighter planes that France could no longer deliver to Egypt because of the [US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)] legislation that prohibits the export of US technological components without authorization from the US government, Alain Juillet reminds that the sale of Alstom to General Electric (GE), for which the current President Emmanuel Macron was decisive, has transferred to the United States the production of turbines essential to French nuclear-powered submarines, the keystone of the French nuclear deterrent.
“It’s an absolute loss of sovereignty, that’s the reality,” asserts the former senior official of French business intelligence to the Prime Minister. “As long as the production is in France, we can still negotiate, but we cannot sell a single submarine abroad without having the green light if we use these turbines,” he adds.
The sale of Alstom in 2014 sparked strong protests among the French armed forces and intelligence services, seeing it as a serious attack on the principle of independence and national sovereignty. France is still today the third nuclear military power in the world after the United States and Russia."
BACKGROUND (from Pete)
Alstom is a broad based French conglomerate. Alstom's Power Systems arm, amongst other activities, is involved in the construction and maintenance of nuclear power stations. 
Given France's dual-use military-civilian nuclear industry structure any entity, like US General Electric-Hitachi involved in France's nuclear power stations will also have some knowledge and influence over France's military nuclear effort.
This French effort may include knowledge and influence in the production of Plutonium and Tritium for French nuclear weapons and some enrichment of Low Enrished Uranium for France's nuclear propelled submarines (ie. for France's K15 and the follow-on reactor (soon to be revealed)).

[1] Have a look at this revealing article on the DGSE website, which states in its second footnote:

"[2] The literature sent by the [DGSE] is sent to over one hundred French institutional recipients, in particular to the presidential administration, to the Prime Minister’s office, to the Ministry of Defence, to the Ministry of the Interior, to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, etc."

5 comments:

Ztev Konrad said...

Regarding the export of Rafale strike jets to Egypt, the block from the US is regarding a component of the Stormshadow/Scalp cruise missile not the planes themselves.
https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2018/03/09/missile-sale-from-france-to-egypt-depends-on-us-permission-dassault-head-says/

Indeed the Rafale has begun its service in Egypt with 8 delivered in 2017
http://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/32585

Anonymous said...

I read that the US blocked the sale of Apache to Egypt because it uses some US components in its guidance. The Apache sale is tied to the sale of additional Rafale to Egypt, hence no Apache, not additional Rafale. If it is just Rafale, the US would not be able to block such sale. Egyp already acquired and deployed some of 24 Rafale.
KQN

Josh said...

@Pete:

I asked on another forum and never got an answer - what part of Rafael is American built? I had thought the whole point of the platform was to build a completely French a/c independent of the Eurofighter project.

Cheers,
Josh

Ztev Konrad said...

Even if France wasnt limited by the US control over some components of the Stormshadow/Scalp in selling to Egypt. It surely could offer the down graded version Black Shaheen as was sold to the UAE

"Modifications to the Black Shaheen, made in compliance with Missile Technology Control Regimes guidelines, allegedly include a decreased range of 290 km and a payload of under 500 kg. "
https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/apache-ap/

The Missile Technology Control regime ( which France is a member) voluntarily limits them supplying Egypt the full version. US Law makes the restrictions mandatory.
https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/mtcr

Im not sure why France wants to join the company of North Korea, Iran , India &Pakistan in aiding the proliferation of these advanced technology weapons

Pete said...

Hi all

I have to admit I don't care much about the French export of Rafales to Egypt.

On the main takeaway from the article above see

"Hitachi An Asset in Japan's Comprehensive Nuclear Weapons Capability" at

http://gentleseas.blogspot.com.au/2018/03/hitachi-asset-in-japans-comprehensive.html of March 27, 2018.

Regards

Pete