Directorate-General for External Security

The Directorate-General for External Security is the foreign intelligence service located on Boulevard Mortier in the 20th arrondissement of Paris. The facility consists of several office buildings sitting behind high walls and offering little view from the outside.

The organization was formed in 1982 when the French government reorganized intelligence services and brought foreign operations under a new name. The headquarters on Boulevard Mortier was expanded and modernized further after the end of the Cold War.

The nickname La Piscine comes from the municipal swimming pool nearby and is used by Parisians when talking about the facility. The building itself is barely recognizable from the outside and blends into the ordinary streetscape of the neighborhood, with no signs or markings indicating its purpose.

The complex is not open to the public and can only be viewed from the outside. The surrounding area is a quiet residential district where you can walk freely without special restrictions.

The address 141 Boulevard Mortier is widely known in France and is often used as a synonym for the service itself. The location sits in an area that was formerly industrial and is now mostly residential buildings.

Location: Paris 20e Arrondissement

Location: Paris

Inception: April 2, 1982

Address: Boulevard Mortier

Website: http://defense.gouv.fr/dgse

GPS coordinates: 48.87457,2.40766

Latest update: December 15, 2025 07:48