Suchergebnisse

Depuis la deuxième moitié du 20e siècle, les besoins de défense des États occidentaux se sontsophistiqués, donnant lieu à une augmentation inexorable du coût des équipements (de l'ordre de 5à 10 % par unité par an) alors que, depuis la fin de la Guerre froide, les budgets de défense n'ontcessé de baisser. En Europe, France, Allemagne et Royaume-Uni restent les trois pays bénéficiantd'une industrie de l'armement solide et de budgets de défense significatifs et ont le désir demaintenir des compétences industrielles et technologiques militaires sur leurs territoires, malgré lespressions de la mondialisation. Dans ce contexte, la coopération interétatique apparaît alors commele moyen de réconcilier l'augmentation des coûts des équipements, la libéralisation des marchés, labaisse des budgets de défense, et la quête de maintien des compétences nationales.

Defence institutions and civil-military relations -- Transforming the French armed forces -- Nuclear deterrence : capabilities and doctrine -- Defence industry and procurement -- At war : French military operations since 1991 -- France and its partners.

This article examines the ways in which recent military experiences have affected France's approach to the use of military power, the role of allies and its vision of future warfare. In its management of strategic challenges, we identify the persistence of many traits of France's historical habits and practices. France remains a distinct, outward looking, and militarily willing and able European power. However, the threats that France has sought to address and the operational and financial constraints it has faced in the past decade in particular, have led to significant changes in its approach to and conduct of warfare. In particular, the threat of Islamist terrorism has led to a reframing of French governments' priorities around more narrowly-defined national interests. It has translated into a 'pragmatic', or 'realist' turn in foreign policy, and a move from 'wars of choice' to 'wars of necessity'. In this context, France's military alliances are being rethought around a core number of functional partnerships to compensate for capability gaps and military overstretch. Meanwhile, French armed forces are getting prepared to face the challenges posed by emerging technologies and the future of Great-Power competition. Overall, the multiple security challenges faced by successive French governments have confirmed, yet redefined, the contours of France's traditional dilemma between a desire for an autonomous defense policy and the reality of a necessary reliance on allies.

This article examines the ways in which recent military experiences have affected France's approach to the use of military power, the role of allies and its vision of future warfare. In its management of strategic challenges, we identify the persistence of many traits of France's historical habits and practices. France remains a distinct, outward looking, and militarily willing and able European power. However, the threats that France has sought to address and the operational and financial constraints it has faced in the past decade in particular, have led to significant changes in its approach to and conduct of warfare. In particular, the threat of Islamist terrorism has led to a reframing of French governments' priorities around more narrowly-defined national interests. It has translated into a 'pragmatic', or 'realist' turn in foreign policy, and a move from 'wars of choice' to 'wars of necessity'. In this context, France's military alliances are being rethought around a core number of functional partnerships to compensate for capability gaps and military overstretch. Meanwhile, French armed forces are getting prepared to face the challenges posed by emerging technologies and the future of Great-Power competition. Overall, the multiple security challenges faced by successive French governments have confirmed, yet redefined, the contours of France's traditional dilemma between a desire for an autonomous defense policy and the reality of a necessary reliance on allies.