The French daily Le Figaro published on Nov. 21 an article on the current state of mind of several French generals, including Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Thierry Burkhard. Although they appear to recognize the extent of the ongoing changes in the world, they have no inkling of how the crisis could be solved peacefully. Worse, they are convinced that through a show of force, the West will be able to get back in control.
“France’s generals take a cold, hard look,” reports Le Figaro. “There is no turning back, they say. The world has tipped into uncertainty, the world of the past has disappeared,” stresses Gen. Bruno Baratz, French Army Future Combat Commander, whose mission is to prepare the army for the conflicts of tomorrow.
The world “that we shaped” after the end of the Cold War is “wavering,” commented Army Chief of Staff Gen. Pierre Schill in a speech at the École Militaire on Nov. 21. “The instability of the context calls for gravity,” he added, urging the army to be ready for any scenario. Who knows what our role will be tomorrow in the security guarantees offered to Ukraine or Lebanon?” Schill still wants to believe that a worsening of crises is not inevitable, reports Le Figaro. But the only solution he sees, unfortunately, is through NATO and the EU. “We are capable of changing the course of events. He argues in favor of strengthening French and Western military capabilities.
