Can France’s Military Live Up to Its Ambitions in the Indo-Pacific?
France has sovereignty, citizens, and broader interests at stake in the region, but its military presence remains small and outdated.
By Sophie Perrot
June 22, 2022
Can France’s Military Live Up to Its Ambitions in the Indo-Pacific?
In the context of the current turmoil at the eastern borders of Europe and in view of the recent elections in France, the question of French defense capabilities is back at the center of the political stage, after decades of budget cuts and underinvestment. The specter of war looming once again at the gateway of Europe should be a wake-up call for French policymakers to reassess the country’s needs in the view of its strategic ambitions and the state of its current capabilities.
The Indo-Pacific, although currently overtaken in the news cycle by Ukraine, is a case in point. As recently reaffirmed by French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu in his address at the 2022 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore: “While some fear that the crisis in Ukraine would blindside us and lead France to go back on its commitments to the region, this will not be the case.” And yet, while a cornerstone of French strategy, it appears evident today that the French armed forces, and notably the French Navy, do not have the resources to meet these ambitions.
The Indo-Pacific: A Matter of French Sovereignty and Strategic Interests
https://thediplomat.com/2022/06/can-frances-military-live-up-to-its-ambitions-in-the-indo-pacific/
