The threat has changed. This has led to a concept of overall security, demanding a much closer cooperation between all the security forces. Faced with this need, the first steps towards such a rapprochement have been put in hand. It would seem necessary to go further. This is why it is proposed to break new ground by moving towards the concept of a ‘Public Security Force’. The aim is to bring together the security forces in a network built around certain common focal points. The project, an ambitious one, could be modelled on an existing feature of French defence and security practice: the use of military forces in civil tasks.