As of September of this year until summer of 2020, Prince Joachim will take part in France’s highest ranking military leadership training. The French minister of defense has invited the Prince to participate in the training following the state visit from France to Denmark last year, where one of the main themes was strategic partnerships in the areas of trade, culture and defense. The Prince is the first Danish officer to participate in this training.

The training takes place six days a week at École Militaire in Paris and consists of two parts, one by the Centre des Hautes Études Militaires (CHEM) [Center for Advanced Military Studies] and one by the Institut des Hautes Études de la Défense Nationale (IHEDN) [Institute for Higher National Defense Studies].

The majority of the studies will take place at CHEM and consist of military studies at the highest level. The training is for 30 selected officers with the rank of colonel or captain (N), and the main topics are strategic military leadership and international relations. The participants are primarily from France, plus some from France’s strategic partner countries. 

The military studies are supplemented with studies at IHEDN in strategic leadership and public administration, with the addition of some 70 business leaders, parliamentarians and government officials, as well as representatives from the media. Here, international relations in the areas of trade, politics, culture and military disciplines are debated and discussed, just as crisis management and experience exchange are among the topics.  

The additional training in France supplements Prince Joachim’s current post in the Danish Defence, where the Prince is special advisor to the chief of defense in relation to the reserve since 2015.

Prince Joachim and his family will move to Paris in summer.

The stay in France does not involve any changes in the couple’s ties to their patronages and partner organizations.

Lene Balleby
Director of Communications