The Patrouille de France painted the Parisian sky in blue white red on Thursday morning, kicking off the traditional military parade given on the occasion of the national holiday, in a strategic context marked by the return of war in Europe.
President Emmanuel Macron had previously reviewed the troops on the prestigious avenue des Champs-Elysées aboard a military vehicle, under a radiant sun, before settling in the tribune on the place de la Concorde in the company of the most senior state officials.
An interview with the president at 1:10 p.m.
At the end of the parade, the Head of State must give at 1:10 p.m. on the France 2 and TF1 channels his first television interview since his re-election in April, in a complex domestic political context after the setback of his coalition in the June legislative elections. which deprived him of an absolute majority in the National Assembly.
Emmanuel Macron will therefore speak to the French in a particularly awaited television interview of about forty minutes, where he should discuss the domestic political situation, the government’s agenda weakened by the legislative elections and the measures to be taken to mitigate the economic and social consequences of war on the French.
“Sharing the Flame”
“Sharing the flame” is the theme of the 2022 parade. A triple reference to the army-nation link, to the flame of the Resistance embodied by Hubert Germain, the last companion of the Liberation who died last year, and to the Olympic flame whose France is now the depositary until the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Olympic and Paralympic medalists will be part of the procession.
In total, some 6,300 people march this year, including nearly 5,000 on foot. The show mobilizes 64 planes, a drone, 25 helicopters, 200 horses and 181 motorized vehicles.
The parade on foot must open with the flags of 9 invited foreign countries, mostly neighbors of Russia or Ukraine: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria. French troops recently deployed on the eastern flank of Europe will follow suit.
Paris has clearly reinforced its reinsurance missions there since the beginning of the war. Some 500 French soldiers were urgently dispatched to Romania at the end of February as part of NATO and Paris is ready to increase its contingent if necessary.
France is also taking part in land and air reassurance missions in Estonia and its Rafale fighter jets are helping to protect Polish skies.
Army budget increase
Given the war in Ukraine but also inflation, President Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday evening a new military programming law (LPM) 2024-2030 to “adjust the means to the threats”. In 2017, the Head of State began a sharp rise in defense credits after years of scarcity. The budget of the Armed Forces will grow further in 2022 before crossing a march of 3 billion in 2023, to reach 44 billion euros.
But the high-intensity conflict playing out in Ukraine has highlighted the shortcomings of the French defense system, particularly in terms of ammunition.
New materials
Some 125,000 police forces were mobilized throughout France to ensure the smooth running of the national holiday. “Yellow vests” have announced their intention to demonstrate in the capital in the afternoon.
Fireworks will then illuminate the evening sky of France, hit by a strong heat wave, with a large part of the territory threatened by fires.
Among the parades will be the 14 units of the navy troops, which celebrate their 400 years of existence. And for the first time in their history, cyber investigators from the gendarmerie will take part in the parade.
The 2022 edition is an opportunity to show the new equipment of the French armies, such as the Jaguar reconnaissance armored vehicle, alongside the new generation Griffon armored vehicle which is gradually replacing the forward armored vehicle (VAB) in the land forces.
The air parade, in which several European aircraft will participate, will include for the first time the Reaper drone, used in the Sahel to track down and kill jihadists, while France is in full recalibration of its military presence on the African continent. The show will end in music with a song specially composed for the occasion, entitled “France”.