A parliamentary information report on the preparation for high-intensity wars, such as the one taking place between Ukraine and Russia, followed by a hearing of the chiefs of staff by the Assembly's Defence Committee, pointed out France's weaknesses in dealing with such conflicts. Perhaps we should rethink our model and increase the army's budget.
As we know, Europe was weakened on 24 February 2022, the day Russia decided to invade Ukraine. The irruption of such a conflict in a Europe that has been built on the principle of peace since the Second World War has reshuffled the cards for all the EU member countries as well as for those of NATO. The treaty, recently joined by Sweden and Finland, has never been more useful. At the same time, the idea of a European defence has never been more topical.
In this context, the question all countries are asking themselves is: Would they be ready if a war threatened them directly?
Last May, in Germany, Lieutenant General Alfons Mais explained that
"The Bundeswehr is more or less naked", opening the way to a possible rearmament of the country, breaking the historical position of 1945.
« The Bundeswehr is more or less naked » Alfons Mais
In France, it was a parliamentary report that highlighted our capabilities to deal with a high-intensity war. Written by LR deputies Jean-Louis Thiériot and LREM deputy Patricia Mirallès, this report pointed to "a risk of strategic downgrading". Although it described our army as coherent and credible, with technologies that are among the best in the world, the report called for a continued increase in the defence budget of billions of euros and even more. The deputies called for "an immediate financial effort to reconstitute ammunition stocks, an increase in the size of the fighter aircraft to 215 (from 185 at present), and an increase in the number of first-rate frigates "as soon as possible". The report also stressed the importance of strengthening the means of combating disinformation.
The findings of the shock report on the weaknesses of the French army, designed more to send expeditionary forces around the world than to get involved in a Russian-Ukrainian type of war, were corroborated by the chiefs of staff heard in July, behind closed doors, by the new Defence Committee of the National Assembly. "Our ability to be an expeditionary force does not instantly make us fit for high-intensity warfare. Moreover, "since 1990, the size of the Navy has been reduced by half" according to Admiral Vlandier.
The message, which is more obvious, is getting through, especially since in May, the Court of Auditors called for a revision of the Military Propagation Law (LPM). The Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, thus confirmed on 7 July that the finance bill to be submitted to Parliament at the end of the year would increase the budget of the armed forces by at least 3 billion euros to 44 billion. The objective is to reach 50 billion by 2025... This will require political choices regarding the national budget.
France has no choice but to adapt to the new global geopolitical situation, as the head of the armed forces, Emmanuel Macron, reminded us at EuroSatory on 13 June.
Translated by askip GB
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