The President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron comes this Monday, January 20, 2025, to Cesson-Sévigné, near Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine), where he must present the traditional wishes to the armies since within the digital land support command and cyber (CATNC). What does this Breton department represent in the military geography of France? What are the main projects in Ille-et-Vilaine?
We take stock with Lieutenant General Patrik Steiger, general officer of the Western defense and security zone since September 2024.
Patrik Steiger, is Ille-et-Vilaine an important territory in the military geography of France?
It is one of the main departments of the Western defense and security zone, itself the largest zone in all of France. No less than 7,000 military and defense civilians live in the department. Counting families, it’s a community of 15,000 people in a very popular area.
It is in Rennes that the defense zone headquarters and the heads of the main zonal directorates of the ministry are located. Our mission here is to create the most favorable conditions for the preparation, deployment and success of units in the area, wherever they are engaged, and to ensure the support provided to families. Soldiers from the western zone are engaged in Mayotte, Lebanon, Eastern Europe, and on the seas of the world.
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The armies in Ille-et-Vilaine are the operational formations of the cyber community (notably in Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande and Cesson-Sévigné). They are also two regiments of the Army (2e equipment regiment in Bruz and 11e marine artillery regiment in Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier) as well as support and service organizations: infrastructure, health, energy, administration, information and youth recruitment.
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Lieutenant General Patrik Steiger, general officer of the Western defense and security zone. West France
What are the main projects of the armies in 2025 in the Rennes basin?
The year 2025 is the second year of the transformation of the ministry and the armies as described in the military programming law (2024-2030). In Brittany and Rennes in particular, there are many projects.
Some will see their realization in the coming weeks and months: the launch of the Defense Digital Commission and the installation of the Cyber Defense Command (Comcyber) in the outskirts of Rennes, the overhaul of the Citizenship Defense Days (JDC) with a modernized program , adapted to today's challenges.
-The deployment of new units leads to the emergence of new modern, innovative buildings: buildings dedicated to command, buildings dedicated to operational preparation, technical buildings. But also accommodation buildings, catering buildings, mainly in Saint-Jacques de la Lande. The ministry is investing in Rennes and its surroundings to support its transformation.
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5,000 reservists in Brittany in 2030
Sébastien Lecornu, the Minister of the Armed Forces, wants to double the number of reservists by 2035. What will be the share of Ille-et-Vilaine and the western zone in this effort?
He recalled last year that the commitment of reservists is an essential lever to strengthen our armies and give them the means to protect the French against all threats.
Brittany, land of soldiers, sailors, airmen, engineers, has 3,500 army reservists and their number continues to increase. The intermediate objective for Brittany by 2030 is of the order of 5,000 reservists, as part of the doubling of the reserve by 2035.
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Engagement in the reserves has been made easier, with the raising of the age limit, the simplification of medical examinations, the opening of new units dedicated to the integration and employment of operational reservists.
The support of employers is essential; they can contribute to this collective effort by signing the ProMilès manifesto or by signing an agreement with the National Guard. Beyond this investment by companies for the benefit of the operational reserve, these partnerships allow them to better understand the armies and encourage exchanges with military units in their environment.
Armies and companies are thus part of a common desire to develop mutual acculturation actions and to increase exchanges in the service of national defense.
