France’s operational armed forces have shaped an efficient tool for deterrence, prevention, projection and action. They are currently deployed in about thirty operations abroad, and the extent of their skills as well as the quality of their contact forces have been granted worldwide acknowledgement. They enable our country to take its historical responsibilities, as a power with a worldwide reach, and to defend often challenged values as well to look after world stability.

These services have adjusted to their new assignments and have undergone thorough upgrading from the mid-1990s on. The continuation of their excellence will be conditional upon a new challenge, which now awaits them. The reform that turned all services professional was a successful one which, from 1996 to 2002, entailed the reorganisation of the services’ running and encampment—yet to be strengthened. We must now go further and think differently in order to see our defence into the twenty-first century.

France Needs a Strong Defence

New Threats, New Issues

The world has changed a lot since the last defence White Paper. The bipolar confrontation has, indeed, ended. French borders—which have almost been absorbed by the steadily expanding Schengen space—are safe. Globalisation has given birth to increasing reciprocal dependency among states, economies, industries, etc.