How the U.S. Military is Looking to France for Inspiration
By Donald Ramsay
September 13, 2022
Both protagonists in the global war on terror, the US and French armies have, in modern times, maintained a somewhat mutual respect. The French have always been overwhelmed and impressed by the sheer mass and quality of the US arsenal, and the completeness and redundancy of their tactical and strategic capabilities, whereas the US has been awed by the French army’s operational effectiveness and ingenuity with limited resources. This has led to the United States looking to France for inspiration, not only when it comes to strategy, but also military hardware.
The United States and France have a long tradition of military collaboration, dating back to the American Wars of Independence in the 18th Century and continuing into the 20th Century during the First and Second World Wars, the liberation of France and Korea. Since 1999, the two armies have had multiple opportunities to collaborate across different theaters of operation, whether that be in Iraq, Africa, or Afghanistan. This operational cooperation has led to a growing mutual respect between the two armies, which has led to strategic, material, and tactical interdependence.
Mutual respect and increased collaboration
The reputation of the US military precedes it. The US government has, by an exceedingly long way, the largest defense budget in the world. In 2020, the country spent $778 billion on its military, three times as much as its closest competitor, China. But, in recent times, the French army has proven to be one of the most efficient, capable Western military forces in the world. Its full range of capabilities have allowed it to engage in military operations around the global with striking success, most notably in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Sahel.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2022/09/13/how_the_us_military_is_looking_to_france_for_inspiration_853252.html
