Training of IETA students (military status)

IETAs are one of the state's military engineering corps. At the heart of the Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA), the state's leading investor, they design and manage major armament programs for France.

A force of expertise, testing, and engineering within the Ministry of the Armed Forces, the DGA is at the heart of the defense system.

Its missions:

• Equip and support the armed forces in a sovereign manner by ensuring state project management of the defense system
• Provide strategic, technological, and industrial foresight to contribute to national defense and security
• Promote a pragmatic approach to cooperation and support exports
• Guide and support the defense industrial base with a view to sovereignty
• Maintain the foundation of nuclear deterrence and develop the ministry's cyber capabilities for the benefit of national security

Some key figures

• 40 locations in France, including 19 centers of expertise and testing facilities in all technical areas of defense
• More than 10,000 employees, the majority of whom are executives
• €20 billion in commitments in 2023

Upon graduation, IETA graduates commit to serving the Ministry of the Armed Forces. They participate in defining and conducting armament programs, preparing major systems, and evaluating and testing equipment, both nationally and internationally.

On a daily basis, they act as the link between the needs of the armed forces and the production of equipment by high-tech companies. Innovation is strategic here. It is at the heart of their missions.

They can quickly take on greater responsibilities and renew and expand their missions, either in centers of expertise or by joining program management teams working on exciting challenges such as future aircraft carriers, the SCAF program, and new-generation submarines.

IETA graduates enjoy demanding and rewarding careers, rich in opportunities for advancement, responsibility, continuing education, and varied roles in the service of national and international defense and security. They may also be temporarily assigned to industry or interministerial positions.

IETA students are under contract and paid from the moment they are admitted.

IETA training includes a first year of training, known as “year 0,” which takes place outside ENSTA. This is an immersion in the armed forces, shared with students from the École Polytechnique. It aims to enable future IETA students to understand how the armed forces operate and what their needs are.

The solid generalist core curriculum of the specialized engineering program in “Defense and Security” is complemented by progressive specialization in a wide range of cutting-edge disciplines, international mobility for at least one semester, and professional immersion internships in engineering and research.

* The distribution by specialization and substitutions in the third year are based on preferences, merit, and the needs expressed by the DGA.

IETA students are under contract with the Directorate General of Armament for a period of 12 years (4 years of study followed by a minimum of 8 years of service).

• They begin their training as officer cadets (2 years) and then become officers (in their second academic year).
• Tuition fees are covered by the Ministry of the Armed Forces.
• Upon admission and throughout their studies, they receive a monthly salary:

After passing the entrance exam, IETA students commit to and complete a year “0” of human and military training, which precedes the three years of training as a “defense and security” engineer. They then begin their engineering training on the Brest campus, one year after passing the entrance exam, alongside students recruited through the following year's entrance exam.

This immersion in the armed forces is both personally and professionally enriching and has two objectives: to assert oneself by experiencing command and to discover the functioning and needs of the armed forces, which use the systems designed by DGA engineers.

Schedule:

1. Enrollment at the École Polytechnique (1 week, late August/early September)
2. Initial military and leadership training at Camp La Courtine (3 weeks, September)
3. Human and military training in one of the armed forces (10 months), including training at the chosen military academy (Air Force Academy, Naval School, Special Military Schools of St Cyr, Military Academy of the National Gendarmerie, Paris Fire Brigade Training Center) and a long immersion internship in an army unit: Navy, Air Force, Army, National Gendarmerie, or Paris Fire Brigade.

With the agreement of the DGA, IETA students have the opportunity to complete their final year of training in one of the specializations offered in the generalist training programs at ENSTA and ISAE-SUPAERO.

The number of IETA students per specialization is defined each year by the DGA for the three options in the “Defense & Security” program and the complementary specializations in the general programs (examples: hydrography & oceanography, pyrotechnic systems and propulsion, etc.).

Several events mark the years of study at IETA: FAMIETA (DGA discovery internship), the military promotion ceremony, the passing of the pennant, the raising of the colors, SIGEM, etc.