La réforme militaire en France : une mutation identitaire

In: Politique étrangère: revue trimestrielle publiée par l'Institut Français des Relations Internationales, Band 62, Heft 1, S. 69-81

Abstract

French Military Reform : a Change of Identity, by Jean-François Bureau
Since the end of the cold war France has entered a full-fledged reappraisal of her defense doctrine and organization. The « deterring manœuvre » has ceased to be the core of her strategy, a new priority being confered on limited military opérations, most of them with the allies : in Europe, the significance of the « French exceptionalism » is no longer the same. After the Gulf war, the constitution of mobile, flexible and multipurpose forces has received more attention ; their interservices dimension still needs to be enhanced. Under pressure from past financial commitments, decisions taken in 1995 illustrate the difficulty to adjust ends and means. The end of draft leads to a new model for armed forces with a strong reduction in size, whereas the eut in of defense expenditure creates a lasting constraint that is bound to require different relations between decision-makers. The culture and « specificity » of the military institution are jeopardized. France is changing her usual relations with military might.