IRSD-KHID-RHID

Biography

Martin Gourgue is an advisor to the Belgian Defence Staff on the subject of defence policy and prospective analysis. He served as a desk officer for the bilateral relations with West-African countries within the Strategy department (ACOS Strat). Within the Belgian Defence staff, he is responsible for the implementation of the processes and outreach with regards to strategic foresight.

At the same time, as a reserve officer, he served as a senior analyst in a combat support unit, where he mostly worked on the Sahel region and specialised in the fields of disinformation and civil-military relations.

He previously worked as an analyst for NATO, developing a multilateral approach in various theatres of operation: Afghanistan, the Balkans, Ukraine and the Baltic states.

He holds a degree in international relations, specialising in security, peace and conflicts, from the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). In addition, he obtained a certificate in advanced international studies from the École supérieure d’études internationales of the Université Laval.

Expertise

West Africa
North Africa
Near East
Grand strategy
Cognitive warfare
Civil-military relations

Publications

Martin Gourgue and Rodolphe van Hövell, “Three Years of Belgium’s Integrated Strategy for the Sahel Region: A Critical Review and Perspectives on Defence and Security,” Focus Paper 62, https://www.defence-institute.be/en/publications-2/focus-paper/fp-62-martin-gourgue-rodolphe-van-hovell/.

Martin Gourgue et Rodolphe van Hövell, « 25 ans de coopération militaire belge au Bénin : bilan, perspectives et nécessités, » Revue militaire belge, n° 29 (juin 2025) : 28-45, https://www.defence-institute.be/publications/rmb/rmb-29/rmb-29-martin-gourgue-rodolphe-van-hovell/.