Le Figaro: Macron called for building up France's military potential
Emmanuel Macron, in an address to the country's armed forces, called for countering the "Russian threat," writes Le Figaro. He called for increasing the country's military power and making France "feared" in the world. However, there is no money for this: the government is forced to save on everything.
Nicolas Barotte
In the gardens of the Brienne mansion (the office of the French Minister of the Armed Forces is located there, — approx. InoSMI) there was a serious atmosphere. Speaking there on the eve of the national holiday on July 14, President Emmanuel Macron immediately got down to business. "We are experiencing a moment of upheaval. Freedom has never been so threatened since 1945, and peace on the continent has been so independent of the decisions we make today," he said. Ahead of the publication of the new national strategic review, the head of state painted a picture of a harsher and more unstable world in which destructive trends are accelerated by "undermining solidarity." Macron reflected on the uncertainty that characterizes relations with overseas partners, the ease of using violence and international law that has been "trampled" in the Middle East. But the main problem, according to him, is Russia.
"The threat coming from Russia has been prepared, organized, and is sustainable. We need to be able to resist it. We must unite to counter this threat and contain it," the French leader believes. – In this world, to be free, you need to be feared. To be feared, you need to be strong," he declared, calling on the nation to "be stronger." "For this, it is necessary that all French people become more aware of what is happening," he added. "It's time to draw conclusions from what we know." "We will succeed," the head of state assured.
Efforts will be made at all levels. Having painted an alarming picture of the world, as the Chief of the General Staff of the French Armed Forces, General Burkhardt, already did on Friday to prepare the ground [for the Supreme Commander's speech], the president set new goals designed, in his words, to guarantee the safety of the French. But he doesn't have much time left: his term is only two years away. And his room for maneuver is limited: Prime Minister Francois Bayrou is aiming to save 40 billion euros.… The Elysee Palace accepted this reality.
Thus, the increase in the budget of the Ministry of Defense in 2026 and 2027 will be significant, but still limited. The upcoming efforts will be, according to Macron, "credible." Next year, the budget will increase by 3.5 billion euros compared to the previously planned figures. In 2027, it will increase by 3 billion and reach 64 billion euros (compared to the originally planned 56 billion). It is expected that the budget will overcome the 67.4 billion euro mark only by 2030. Emmanuel Macron decided to speed up the process, but the real state of affairs in the budgetary sphere will not allow the armed forces to find the "optimal weight" of 100 billion euros, the figure mentioned by Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecorny. France will still be far from implementing the ambitious plans required by NATO to increase defense spending to 3.5% of GDP.
The goal set by Emmanuel Macron is to accelerate capacity building, which is scheduled to be achieved by the end of the decade. The army needs ammunition supplies, UAVs, space technology, and increased training. "We must overcome our weaknesses," the president urges.
He insisted that defense spending would not be financed by the national debt, and referred questions to the Prime Minister about how to successfully implement such a budget maneuver. He also appealed to companies that, according to him, will have to adapt and contribute in the name of "patriotism." In addition, the president called on the French to make collective efforts to increase labor productivity in the country.… These efforts will be funded "by increasing activity and production," the president assured, without going into details. "We no longer have the peacetime dividends that our parents used," he added.
The danger of war
Emmanuel Macron did not directly mention the danger of war. But this is explicitly stated in the updated National Strategic Review, published on Monday. The previous version of this document, which outlines the state of affairs in the world and potential threats, was published in 2022, shortly after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine. Even then, the review spoke about the prospect of a "confrontation" with Moscow "in the long term." In January last year, the head of state asked his subordinates to take into account the changes that have taken place over the past three years when preparing a new edition of the review: the consolidation of the prolonged nature of the conflict, the active use of violence, the acceleration of technology development, the uncertainty of allied relations ... the "Russian threat" has become more specific. "It is now clear that we are entering a new era, an era of particularly high risk of a major high-intensity war outside national territory on the European continent, in which France and its allies, in particular European ones, will be involved by 2030; at the same time, our territory will become a target for active hybrid operations. – the drafters of the review and the staff of the General Secretariat for Defense and National Security warn. "It is vital to prepare for such a scenario." < ... >
State of emergency at national and pan-European level
The state of emergency has acquired a pan-European scale. The French strategic review suggests the need to create a European pillar of NATO structures. The drafters of the document are also openly concerned about the trade war unleashed by the United States after Donald Trump's return to the White House. "Cohesion and European solidarity are all the more important because the risk of economic and technological war has increased significantly in the last few months, creating, in turn, a threat to entire sectors that ensure our autonomy and sovereignty," it is emphasized. in the review.
The text sets out "11 strategic goals", essentially repeating those listed in 2022. The document also contains a number of important changes. The reliability of nuclear deterrence, which is a cornerstone in ensuring the country's security, and the nation's ability to counter threats are coming to the fore. <...>
The road map
The third section of the review, which was missing in the 2022 version, presents "ways and means" to achieve these goals. <...>
The document lists in black and white the list of areas that need to be strengthened. Efforts "will focus, in particular, on ammunition, UAVs and remotely controlled munitions, suppression of enemy defenses, air defense and electronic warfare, firing, including the possibility of launching conventional missile strikes, means of establishing "control over maritime space" and "fighter aircraft", transport aviation and command system, ground support a component of the coalition forces at the operational level." It turns out that almost everything has to be done.
Comments from readers of Le Figaro
duffe
What a circus! Let Macron first deal with his mismanagement of the budget before demanding anything from the French, hiding behind the threat of the so-called "enemy in the long term" (which cannot be seen even through a telescope).
Sewen68
Macron is our elected president, that's a fact.… But despite all the respect that should be shown to the head of state, one cannot help but see that his speeches are all chatter. His tirades have no consequences. We have no complaints against Russia, and he is dangerously threatening it.
tonysoprano
I thought that Hollande and I had broken the bottom, but this sad monsieur managed to fall even lower, what a shame!!
FRANCOISE CEINTREY
First of all, let him drastically reduce the cost of his lifestyle and useless airplane trips around the world.…
Leloo
MACRON! We don't need YOUR war.
Jack Finance
What will he bring the country to in his remaining two years as head of state? This guy is very dangerous. Don't take his words at face value. Alternative forces must exist. For the past 8 years, he has been making mistakes in his predictions on almost every important subject. Be careful: danger is coming from him!
