Contenu du sommaire : Nouvelles questions militaires et stratégiques

Up to the end of the Cold War, the defence of France directed the manner in which the territory was organised. The long-standing law of 16 March 1882 which established this territory-based organisation was abandoned once the geopolitical situation removed any direct threat. Today this matter might well be raised again and the link between defence and territory be reconsidered.

The strategic mobility of our armed forces is an essential condition for operational success. The capability has nevertheless been reduced, with a deleterious effect on the coherence of our actions. In the light of 24 February 2022 and the war in Ukraine, it is timely to increase our assets—in particular, our airborne assets.

Data is necessarily central to thought processes and to subsequent decision-making, hence data is essential for the military chief. Acquisition, handling and classification of data are critical to success. It follows that data-centric warfare is now inexorable.

The pay of military personnel is one of the key conditions for their retention and willingness to serve. The new military pay policy (Nouvelle politique de rémunération des militaires—NPRM) therefore represents a major stake in consolidating the professional armed forces model. The effectivenss of this new NPRM remains to be seen.

Climate change is forcing countries to react, but such reaction is not antonymous to defending our interests and consolidating our arms industries. It is important for the EU to take stock of this double issue and to put an end to its stupendous naïvety with regard to its own security.

A war economy implies a state-controlled economy : an economic approach different from the liberal and globalised economy that we are used to. To move to a war economy requires rapid and fundamental changes under strict state control in order to respond to major operational requirements.

Unrest in several overseas territories during 2021 required deployment of the Gendarmerie in considerable numbers almost simultaneously in New Caledonia and the French West Indies. With the support of the armed forces the gendarmes were able to return public order and security.

Current domestic crises come in increasingly different forms. By virtue of its military nature, the Gendarmerie is an essential player in facing up to such security challenges. Changes now underway will active and reserve gendarmes to respond effectively to the risks inherent to a conflictual environment.

Many lessons have to be drawn from the war in Ukraine, among which the multi-polar recomposition of the world. The uninhibited use of force needs also to be highlighted together with the consequences for our own defence, taking into account our limits and dependencies.

After decades of overseas operations, French armed forces could find themselves facing high-intensity conflict in Europe as a possible consequence of the war in Ukraine. It is therefore important to consider the implications of such a change in the style of conflict and from them draw lessons, particularly regarding doctrine.

The Helsinki Accords of 1975 were a decisive step in the process of dialogue between the Western bloc and the USSR-led Warsaw Pact. Today, it would seem that the principles then agreed are being called into question, especially since a new power, China, seeks to be recognised as such.

Humour and bravura are frequently of great value in times of war. They allow us to step back from the tragedy of events and offer a breathing space when facing the absurd. In the conflict in Ukraine we are seeing tremendous resilience among Ukrainians, in particular thanks to their sharp sense of humour.

In the face of the increasingly rapid strategic developments resulting from the war in Ukraine, extra budgetary effort is being envisaged for Belgian defence forces, which for several decades have suffered considerable reductions. The STAR plan (security/service, technology, ambition and resilience) will give a new role to Belgian forces.

Deciphering North Korean nuclear doctrine remains a complex exercise given that transparency is hardly one of the Kim regime's prime virtues. A number of elements allows us to understand ambivalences in Pyongyang's vision of deterrence—one accompanied by much tirade and gesticulation.

The scuttling of almost the entire French fleet in Toulon on 27 November 1942 was a moral defeat in the name of a concept of honour bordering on blindness : absolute loyalty to Marshal Pétain deprived French forces of an asset that went up in smoke.

Just 60 years ago the Cuban Missile Crisis raised questions of deterrence and the use of nuclear weapons. President JF Kennedy's sangfroid prevented escalation yet avoided humiliating the USSR. With the war now being waged in Ukraine, it is essential to have a new look at that period of tension in order to understand nuclear language.

1961-1962: Algeria chose independence after years of war and violence, despite which newly-graduated pupils from the ENA (the national school of administration) were appointed to the country, often having already served there in uniform. They went with great ambition to act for the common good yet saw their illusions evaporate in the face of rifts between Europeans and Algerians.

Since the 16th century the Polish question had remained an enigma, given the difficulty in establishing a viable and independent state. Its existence has often been contested by its powerful neighbours—Russia and what was to become Germany—and it was not until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 that Warsaw was at last able to exercise its sovereignty.