Deterrence instead of stabilisation missions: Newly built French mechanised units will support NATO's eastern flank
France must reorganise its ground forces in view of the dynamic security situation in Central Eastern Europe. No other army in continental Europe has been…
France must reorganise its ground forces in view of the dynamic security situation in Central Eastern Europe. No other army in continental Europe has been so consistently optimised for intervention operations with units armed only with light equipment. Not surprisingly, Paris has so far been primarily responsible for security threats on the southern flank of the North Atlantic Alliance. It did not need mechanized forces for stabilization missions in Africa. French military strategists now see the Armée de Terre in a similar situation to that on the eve of the lost war against Prussia in 1870-1871. "In the context of today's rapid strategic developments, the…