2023-07-13 22:08:04
Emmanuel Macron. POOL / REUTERS
The Ministry of the Armed Forces “must be redesigned”, declared Thursday the President of the Republic, who paid tribute to the soldiers at the Hôtel de Brienne.
Each year, during the ceremony given at the Hotel de Brienne on July 13, the Head of State pays tribute to the armies: to the bereaved families, to the wounded, to the commitment of the soldiers and to the singularity of their profession, in the service of the nation. In the garden of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, the entire military community is represented. The adoption by the Senate, during the day, of the Military Programming Law 2024-2030, by 313 votes for and 17 against, is in most discussions. The law is now in the hands of the Council of State before its promulgation. The timetable set by Emmanuel Macron, who wanted to finish before July 14, is almost respected.
« What you voted is a good text “, he congratulated himself, addressing the many parliamentarians, from the majority as well as from the opposition present. However, the government had to make concessions to obtain a majority and accepted a slight revision of the budget schedule, accelerating the increase. The government is nevertheless satisfied and the Minister of the Armies Sébastien Lecornu can rejoice, behind the scenes, to see Matignon and Bercy being caught out.
« The law has been debated, it is a guarantee of democracy “, conceded Emmanuel Macron, welcoming the major effort made since his first election in 2017 and the doubling of the budget of the armies. “ We didn’t need a wake-up call to be aware of the need to reinvest “, he underlined. For other countries, such as Germany, it was necessary to wait for the war in Ukraine to announce a change of direction.
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The Ministry of the Armed Forces must be “redesigned”
A new chapter will be able to open. The Ministry of the Armed Forces needs to be rethought “, announced the President of the Republic. Operations and the risk of war must be at the heart of your organization “, he continued, welcoming the reform already accomplished of the Center for Planning and Conduct of Operations, where all the operations of the armies are piloted.
The logic of economy that had prevailed during the previous decades should therefore come to an end. The president wants ensure that soldiers have the means to accomplish their missions “. He did not give details, leaving it to the Minister of the Armed Forces to present a new “ model by the summer of 2024. The President has set four principles: Never lose sight of the strategic mind », « keep the spirit of responsibility everywhere », « impose subsidiarity » et « decline in each place the agility ».
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Behind this abstract roadmap are also hidden concrete issues of recruitment and retention. The army faces difficulties in attracting and retaining officers. In cutting-edge fields such as cyber or space, it must compete with sometimes very attractive competition from the private sector. Emmanuel Macron wants to better take into account the “ aspirations of those who get involved. The Ministry of the Armed Forces has already initiated reforms, in particular with the continuation of the Family plan. He will no doubt be able to rely on the report of the High Committee for the Evaluation of Military Condition, which has just been given to him, but which will not be public for a few weeks.
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