<picture class="article__media"> <img src="https://img.lemde.fr/2025/01/12/0/0/2366/3543/664/0/75/0/4041c4f_sirius-fs-upload-1-rzczc7sobzyt-1736696221565-lerner-dgsi-sg-03.jpeg" alt="Images Le Monde.fr" width="100%" height="auto"> </picture> <noscript> <img src="https://img.lemde.fr/2025/01/12/0/0/2366/3543/664/0/75/0/4041c4f_sirius-fs-upload-1-rzczc7sobzyt-1736696221565-lerner-dgsi-sg-03.jpeg" alt="Nicolas Lerner, director general of the General Directorate of External Security. Photo taken during an interview with Le Monde, when he was head of the General Directorate of Internal Security, in Levallois-Perret, France, on June 27, 2023."> </noscript> <figcaption class="article__legend" aria-hidden="true">Nicolas Lerner, director general of the General Directorate of External Security. Photo taken during an interview with Le Monde, when he was head of the General Directorate of Internal Security, in Levallois-Perret, France, on June 27, 2023. SAMUEL GRATACAP FOR&nbsp;LE MONDE&nbsp; </figcaption>

As director general of the General Directorate of External Security (DGSE), the French service in charge of foreign intelligence, Nicolas Lerner is in a privileged position to witness the fight against terrorism. Lerner joined the Interior Ministry in 2004 and spent more than six years at the Police Prefecture, from 2008 to 2014. Appointed as head of security services in Corsica from 2015 to 2017, he then became the deputy chief of staff for former interior minister Gérard Collomb, until he was appointed to head the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) in October 2018. On January 9, 2024, <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2023/12/20/french-domestic-intelligence-chief-appointed-head-of-foreign-espionage_6360939_7.html">he took the head of the DGSE</a>. In an interview with Le Monde, he takes stock of current developments in the terrorist threat.

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In an interview with Le Monde, Nicolas Lerner, the head of the General Directorate of External Security takes stock of the terrorist threat to France.{ai:summary}Nicolas Lerner, the new director of France's General Directorate of External Security (DGSE), emphasizes the ongoing threat of terrorism in an interview. He highlights France's vulnerability to jihadist attacks over the past decade and calls for heightened vigilance against various extremist ideologies.Lerner's extensive background in security services positions him to address these challenges as he takes the helm of the DGSE. His insights reflect the pressing need for continued focus on counter-terrorism efforts in France. #society

French foreign intelligence chief: 'Islamist terrorism is a threat that our societies will have to face over the long term'

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