Defense and Security – Sector Expertise
Relians, a specialist in Defense and Security
Building on expertise developed at the heart of the defense ecosystem, alongside the Ministry of the Armed Forces (MINARM), the Joint Chiefs of Staff (EMA), and the Defense Procurement Agency (DGA), as well as major prime contractors and the Defense Industrial and Technological Base (BITD), Relians offers in-depth knowledge of the challenges specific to the defense and security sectors.
Relians supports you across all Defense domains
Relians advises investors, industrial players, and strategic partners operating within the French Defense Industrial and Technological Base (BITD). The firm is involved in all defense programs—including weapons systems, defense and dual-use technologies, and critical supply chains—and has a thorough understanding of the specific constraints faced by Tier 1 and Tier 2 subcontractors, as well as by key or innovative mid-sized companies (ETIs) and SMEs.
Deep Tech
Relians draws on expertise forged within the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA), notably at the Ballistics and Aerodynamics Research Laboratory (LRBA) in Vernon—a historic center of French defense research. Fourteen years of experience in this environment of excellence have enabled Relians to develop a deep understanding of advanced technologies and the specific requirements of critical and sensitive research programs.
Systems and sub-systems
This scientific background gives the firm a unique legitimacy in the analysis and strategic valuation of systems, sub-systems, and technologies, including:
- Systems of systems
- Weapons systems
- Electromagnetic and infrared seekers
- Embedded electronics
- Critical equipment and subassemblies
- Advanced materials
- Embedded systems
- Cybersecurity
- Artificial intelligence
- Big Data
Inertial Navigation – GNSS
Cette expérience couvre un large spectre de technologies, notamment la navigation inertielle et les systèmes dits satellitaire (GNSS), offrant des références de temps, position et vitesse, essentielles à la robustesse et performance et à la fiabilité des systèmes d’armes modernes.
R&D
Relians supports its clients in the structuring, securing, and strategic positioning of their R&D projects. The firm identifies breakthrough technologies, anticipates sensitivities likely to trigger foreign investment screening, and more broadly addresses all potential national security constraints.
By designing tailored compliance solutions, Relians positions itself as a trusted partner for Deep Tech and Defense stakeholders, serving the goal of industrial sovereignty.
Industry
Relians builds on extensive industrial experience gained alongside major prime contractors in the defense sector – Airbus Defense & Space, Thales, Safran, and MBDA – at the core of the most complex and strategic programs.
Operational platforms
Relians’ expertise extends across all types of operational platforms, including:
- Launch vehicles
- Surface vessels
- Submarines
- Main battle tanks
- Ground vehicles
- Aircraft
- Strategic and tactical missile systems
- Unmanned aerial vehicles (drones)
Critical ecosystems
This hands-on technical knowledge gives the firm a concrete understanding of monopolies and monopsonies, supply chains, industrial constraints, and the security requirements inherent to these critical ecosystems.
Optimization of strategic asset value
By combining deep technological experience with legal and regulatory expertise, Relians provides companies and investors with an integrated view of industrial and sovereignty-related challenges. The firm supports cooperation, investment, and restructuring projects, ensuring compliance with both national and European control regimes.
As such, Relians positions itself as a key player in securing, enhancing, and expanding industrial activities in the defense and high-tech sectors.
This in-depth knowledge of the underlying issues enables Relians to assist companies and investors operating in strategic sectors—for instance, by validating business plans, identifying breakthrough technologies, or pinpointing key elements to be negotiated with the State.
Relians supports you across all Security dimensions
Relians is involved in matters that raise critical national security concerns—whether they relate to critical infrastructure, strategic technologies, operators of vital importance (OIVs), or strategic data hosting solutions. The firm supports its clients in a highly demanding environment where risk management, regulatory foresight, and confidentiality are paramount.
Operators of Vital Importance (OIVs)
Depending on the nature of the project, the lead authority may be the Ministry of the Interior or one of the intelligence services, such as the DGSE. Relians has notably been involved in emblematic cases, including the Nokia/ASN transaction marked by several failed divestiture attempts before its resolution – as well as the PMR (Professional Mobile Radio) case, which entailed negotiations between Airbus and a U.S. buyer.
This hands-on experience gives Relians an operational understanding of state-driven security rationales and sensitivity assessment criteria. By combining legal precision, sector-specific expertise, and strategic insight, the firm helps clients structure their transactions in a manner consistent with sovereignty imperatives—delivering in-depth analysis that safeguards the economic and technological value of their assets.
Relians’ key added value lies in being an expert in Defense and Security channels
For over 20 years, Relians has built its public affairs and lobbying practice on deep knowledge of the institutional decision-making circuits in the Defense and Security sectors. Beyond established networks of public decision-makers—which remain valuable—we believe that true added value in transactions involving strategic assets, such as those of the Defense Industrial and Technological Base (BITD), lies in combining sectoral, technical, and technological expertise with a comprehensive understanding of institutional dynamics.
All our consultants bring a level of expertise unmatched on the market. We operate with a firm grasp of the rules and practices specific to each institution. It is this expertise—combined with in-depth knowledge of institutions and regulatory frameworks—that enables us to deliver strategic advice and practical solutions to our clients.
