ABSTRACT
In the Ministry of Defence, arms-export support was also reorganised under the new minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, a long-time political associate of President Hollande. Export controls, meanwhile, underwent very little change during the 2012–17 Socialist government. With regard to arms exports, Le Drian set out to rebalance the roles of the ministry and the defence industry. His idea was that the ministry should take the lead in initiating political and strategic discussions with potential customers, and that only afterwards should the firms offer their specific products. The creation of the DGRIS was part of a broader reform of the defence ministry, and did not directly concern arms exports. However, because the DGRIS became responsible for the defence attachés, the move did have an impact on various stakeholders in arms-export policy. Significantly, whereas the DAS had generally pursued a more restrained approach to arms sales, the DGRIS was more geared towards supporting arms exports.
