Ludovic Chaker
French politician and former diplomat
Ludovic Chaker
Ludovic Chaker in 2024
Deputy Delegate General for Armaments
Incumbent
Assumed office
October 2022
Secretary General of La République En Marche! (2016)
Personal details
Born (1979-07-15) 15 July 1979 (age 46)
Saint-Jean-du-Bruel, France
Alma materParis Nanterre University
Sciences Po
Inalco
OccupationGovernment official, advisor, yoga and martial arts teacher
NicknameThe Ninja

Ludovic Chaker (born 15 July 1979) is a French government official. A former diplomat and politician, he is chiefly known as a political advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron[1] and the first secretary of his political movement, En Marche!.[2]

He served as a security advisor[3] to the President of the Republic from 2017 to 2022.[4]

He currently serves as Deputy Delegate General for Armaments, in charge of strategic anticipation at the French Ministry of Defence.[5]

Biography

Early life

Chaker grew up in a humble family based in Saint-Jean-du-Bruel, a village in Aveyron set between the Causses and the Cévennes, in the rugged Dourbie valley.[6]

Education

After completing his final year of secondary school in Nice and a training period in a Shaolin temple, he graduated in 2002 from the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales with a degree in Mandarin Chinese and International Relations. He contributed to books focused on modern China, such as Shanghai - Histoire, promenades, anthologie et dictionnaire, directed by Nicolas Idier, in which he writes a chapter on martial arts.[7]

He was admitted to the CELSA[8] where he attended the intercultural management program, while studying political science at the Paris Nanterre University (2003–2004) and human resources and public affairs at Sciences Po.[9]

To finance his studies, he worked successively as a receptionist, model, security guard, and video game tester.[10]

Career

Chaker's career has taken him to the crossroads of military intelligence, public and academic affairs, and politics.

Career in academia and public affairs

Hired by the French consulate in Shanghai, he was in charge of developing cooperation between French and Chinese universities.

Upon returning to France, he became chief of staff to the mayor of Joué-lès-Tours,[11] a city in which he was also elected.[12]

He was then recruited by Richard Descoings as head of external relations for Asia, the Pacific region, Africa and the Middle-East of Sciences Po.[13]

He then founded a consulting company, Ooda, named after the four phases (observe–orient–decide–act) of the military OODA loop.[6]

Political career

Independent MP candidate

In 2012, he ran as an independent left-wing candidate for the MP seat of the Eleventh constituency for French residents overseas, that includes 49 countries in Asia and Oceania.[14] He campaign included meeting French people via couch surfing with them in Thailand.[15] He received 1.99% of the votes.[16]

First general secretary of En Marche!

In 2015[1] he joined Emmanuel Macron's team and became the first general secretary of his party, En Marche! and its first official employee.[1] He was then appointed as deputy general secretary and coordinator of Macron's campaign operations for the 2017 French presidential election.[17] He was often described as a senior staffer in the candidate's team and one of its closest advisors,[1] earning the nickname of "ninja of logistics".[18]

Advisor to the French President

After the election of Macron to the presidency, Chaker was appointed to the Military Staff of the President.[2] Several media outlets identified him as close to Alexandre Benalla[2] and compared him to the character of intelligence officer Malotru in the TV series The Bureau[9] - a comparison reinforced by the fact that Chaker speaks Arabic fluently after living in Cairo.[6]

Following the appointment of a new Chief of Staff to the President of the Republic on July 7, 2020, he became advisor to the President on strategic defense and security issues until October 2022.

Military career

Deputy Delegate General for Armaments

On October 5, 2022, he was appointed Deputy Director of Strategic Anticipation for the Delegate General for Armaments, at the proposal of the Minister for the Armed Forces in the Council of Ministers.

He developed the strategic function of knowledge, understanding, and anticipation within the Direction générale de l'armement, with responsibility for emerging threats, cognitive warfare, and countering information manipulation in France and abroad, and contributed to the Red Team Défense and RADAR programs.[19]

Arms Officers' Corps

An officer in the Arms Officers' Corps Operational Reserve since 2004, he has been promoted regularly, becoming:

In 2013, he attended the training course of the École supérieure des officiers de réserve spécialistes d'état-major (ESORSEM), attached to the École de guerre.

He was subsequently assigned as a reserve officer to the Commandement des opérations spéciales (COS), in the "J9" office responsible for civil-military actions, before joining the 44th Infantry Regiment, a unit traditionally attached to the Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE).[21]

In 2020, along with several gendarmerie officers, he became an auditor at the Institut des hautes études de Défense nationale (IHEDN).

Distinctions

As part of his service in the reserve, he received several decorations, including:

  • National Defence Medal, bronze level
  • Medal for Voluntary Military Service
  • As well as non-public decorations awarded for external operations

Martial arts and yoga

Ludovic Chaker was taught kung-fu by master Liang Chaoqun, a proponent of the Zi Ran Men or "natural style".[22][23] He then joined the leadership of the French Wan Laisheng association and authored several publications devoted to the history of martial arts.[24][25] Trained in India, he also taught traditional hatha yoga.[26]

Publications and interventions

He regularly speaks in France and abroad on issues related to strategic affairs, the anticipation of emerging threats, and technological disruptions, in both academic and professional contexts.

  • (fr) Ludovic Chaker, Jean-Baptiste Colas, Alexandre Lahousse, Enhancing Sovereignty: Entering the Era of Strategic Power, National Defence Review, June 2025.[27]
  • (fr) Ludovic Chaker, Jean-Baptiste Colas and Noémie Gélis, Strategic Anticipation and Innovation: Navigating Uncertainty to Build the Future of Defence, Combats Futurs, Journal of the Command for Future Combat, June 2025.[28]
  • (fr) Ludovic Chaker, Tsiporah Fried, DGA NG Prepares for the Future, National Defence Review, December 2024.[29]
  • (fr) Ludovic Chaker and Jean-Baptiste Colas, "Faced with the multiplication of threats, civilians and the military can together forge the defense of tomorrow", FigaroVox, Le Figaro, November 2024.[30]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Plowright, Adam (14 September 2017). The French Exception: Emmanuel Macron – The Extraordinary Rise and Risk. Icon Books Limited. ISBN 9781785783128. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Chemin, Ariane; Krug, François (24 July 2018). "Ludovic Chaker, l'autre conseiller secret de l'Elysée". lemonde.fr (in French). Le Monde.
  3. ^ Fouquet, Helene; Viscusi, Gregory (2018-07-24). "Macron Aims to Contain Damage From French Bodyguard Controversy". Bloomberg.com (in French). Bloomberg. Retrieved 2019-07-26.
  4. ^ "Le conseiller de Macron et proche de Benalla Ludovic Chaker est-il décoré de la légion d'honneur ?". 21 January 2019.
  5. ^ "Appointments to the Ministry of the Armed Forces" (PDF). French Ministry of Defence. 5 October 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Endeweld, Marc (2019-04-24). Le grand manipulateur (in French). Stock. ISBN 9782234086920.
  7. ^ Idier, Nicolas (2010). Shanghai, Histoire, promenades, anthologie et dictionnaire (PDF) (in French). Robert Laffont. ISBN 978-2-221-11096-6.
  8. ^ Poussielgue, Gregoire (2017-04-26). "La garde rapprochée d'Emmanuel Macron". lesechos.fr (in French). Les Echos. Retrieved 2019-07-26.
  9. ^ a b ""L'espion du président", protecteur de Benalla et toujours à l'Elysée". marianne.fr (in French). Marianne. 2019-04-24. Retrieved 2019-07-26.
  10. ^ Fansten, Emmanuel. "Ludovic Chaker, tortueux «ninja»". Libération (in French). Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  11. ^ "Un nouveau directeur de cabinet à la mairie". lanouvellerepublique.fr (in French). La Nouvelle République. 30 August 2012.
  12. ^ "Ludovic Chaker : le "ninja" de l'Élysée, ex élu de Joué-lès-Tours". lanouvellerepublique.fr (in French). La Nouvelle République. 2018-07-25. Retrieved 2019-07-26.
  13. ^ "Past Visits to CUHK". Chinese University of Hong Kong. 2011.
  14. ^ Jiaqing, Yang (20 April 2012). "Ludovic Chaker : une nouvelle dynamique franco-chinoise". Pékin information (in French).
  15. ^ "INTERVIEW – Ludovic Chaker, on his visit to Thailand". Le Petit Journal. 24 May 2012.
  16. ^ "1,99". lanouvellerepublique.fr. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  17. ^ Caudel, Manuel (25 April 2017). "Macron fait le plein de soutiens". midilibre.fr (in French). Midi Libre.
  18. ^ Raulin, Nathalie; Gendron, Guillaume (3 April 2017). "L'équipe Macron affine la mise en cène". liberation.fr (in French). Libération.
  19. ^ "Compte rendu de réunion n° 7 - Commission de la défense nationale et des forces armées". www.assemblee-nationale.fr (in French). Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  20. ^ a b c "Ludovic Chaker - JORFSearch". jorfsearch.steinertriples.ch. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  21. ^ Merchet, Secret Défense Par Jean-Dominique (2018-09-05). "Chargé de mission à l'Elysée, Ludovic Chaker ne travaille plus pour la DGSE". l'Opinion (in French). Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  22. ^ "Association d'arts martiaux traditionnels chinois Wuxia". Wuxia. 5 August 2010.
  23. ^ "Palmarès". wan-laisheng-france.fr (in French).
  24. ^ "Portrait de Liang Chaoqun, maître d'arts martiaux traditionnels" (PDF). wan-laisheng-france.fr (in French). 15 May 2012.
  25. ^ "L'Épée de Wudang" (PDF). Ceinture noire. July–August 2012..
  26. ^ "Après l'affaire Benalla, les hommes de l'ombre de l'Elysée en pleine lumière". lemonde.fr (in French). Le Monde. 20 January 2019.
  27. ^ Chaker, Ludovic. "Enhancing Sovereignty: Entering the Era of Strategic Power". www.defnat.com. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  28. ^ Combats Futurs, N3. 2025-06-16.
  29. ^ "DGA NG Prepares for the Future: Interview with the Deputy Director for Strategic Anticipation". www.defnat.com. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  30. ^ "«Face à la multiplication des menaces, civils et militaires peuvent forger ensemble la défense de demain»". Le Figaro (in French). 2024-11-04. Retrieved 2025-10-08.
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