"A decline in military terms is unacceptable": the Minister of the Armed Forces calls for a "new effort"

Despite public finances in dire straits, French President Emmanuel Macron will speak Sunday evening about the " defense efforts " needed in the face of worsening threats and a crumbling world order. His Minister of the Armed Forces has preceded him: in La Tribune Dimanche , published Saturday, Sébastien Lecornu insisted on the necessary increase in resources for the army and the defense sector, expressing concern that French industry could "fall behind."

"We are at a moment of truth for our model, like the moment when we chose the atom in the 1960s," he declared solemnly. The minister called for France to invest in space, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, stealth, and hyper-velocity.

"What worries me is that if we don't stay focused in the coming years on all the technology sectors I mentioned, we could fall behind."

Sébastien Lecornu thus calls for a "new effort" to guarantee the independence of the French army. An effort that is as much budgetary as "intellectual, moral, and industrial." It must be provided both by manufacturers, who must resolve to "make efforts from their own funds," and by the State, which must "proceed to finance new programs."

According to him, "a decline on the military level is unacceptable, because it would lead to an overall decline of the country which would undoubtedly be irreversible. We reject it."

The minister also spoke about the return of military service. While he believes that "the professionalization of our armed forces should not be called into question," Sébastien Lecornu believes that France "needs to have a larger army."

During his traditional address to the armed forces this Sunday, on the eve of the national holiday, Emmanuel Macron will make "major announcements," according to the Élysée.

To prepare minds, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, General Thierry Burkhard, painted a gloomy picture of the threats on Friday in a rare press conference , a few days after another unprecedented television intervention by the head of the DGSE, the foreign intelligence service, Nicolas Lerner .