On Wednesday, during a trip to Toulon, Emmanuel Macron will have to outline the general lines of the National Strategic Review (RNS) that sets the main guidelines for defense. In the center, the budget that grants the armies the military programming law (LPM) that will condition their means between 2024 and 2030. The issue is already generating tensions.
With the conflict in Ukraine, the military budget is increasing, amounting to 44,000 million euros by 2023 thanks to an increase of 3,000 million. For its part, Germany announced an exceptional increase of 100,000 million in the budget for its armies.
Will the budget for the coming years be up to the risks? This is the subject of bitter discussions between Bercy and Balard. The Minister of Economy, Bruno Le Maire, would like the budget between 2024 and 2030 to be a maximum of 377 billion euros, while Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces, estimates that 410 billion are necessary to meet the objectives capacity and operations. According to Opinionthe military estimates the needs at 430,000 million euros.
Advance the LPM calendar
True to the doctrine that led to his dismissal from the position of Chief of the Defense Staff (CEMA), General Pierre de Villiers, who publishes a new book (words of honor in Fayard) considers that these resources are still insufficient to face the risk of a high-intensity war. “We can see what happened in Ukraine.”
The former CEMA recalls the necessary needs in terms of labor, ammunition, spare parts and logistics. “We are in a situation of growing global instability, we must be aware of it and put the means (…) We do not reconstitute a stock of ammunition in 6 months, we do not build tanks, ships or planes in 6 months “.
“When you build a model army to protect France and the French people, you have to start with the threats and then determine the budget allocation. We are in a period of war economy, the president was right to say so”, declares the general who proposes advancing the LPM vote.
Source: BFM TV
