The urgent need for a more sustainable European defence

Activities at EuroDéfense-France have resumed apace after the summer break and all the excitements of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, organised so brilliantly by the local team.

The Games, which took place in an exceptional setting, were an ideal opportunity to turn the spotlight on the host country, and its capital in particular, and showcase the talents of athletes from across the world. Their performances elicited a highly enthusiastic response both among those present on the spot and the millions of television viewers. For the French, the Games were a moment out of time when national differences were set aside. For all, they were the chance to appreciate the spirit of peaceful competition and enjoy the festive atmosphere that prevailed.

Hopefully all this could be a source of inspiration for the public and the politicians alike. But sadly, moments like this are rare and every day there are reminders that our world is in crisis, both within our democracies and beyond our borders. In France, the difficulties in forming a new government following the dissolution of the previous parliament have only served to highlight the enormous and unprecedented gulfs dividing the country.

At a time of great strategic uncertainty, this situation, if it were to continue, could weaken our country. The situation is not much better for some of our European allies, which dims the European Union’s political voice and makes it ineffective in resolving the current crises in its vicinity, for instance whether in Ukraine or the Middle East. As our honorary president, Jean-Paul Perruche rightly points out in his article « Le crépuscule des autruches » (the demise of ostrich policy) in EuroDéfense-France Newsletter no. 86, it is time for Europeans to stop burying their heads in the sand and take steps to ensure that Europe can emerge as a strategically responsible power able to afford long-term protection for its citizens in this period of major strategic upheaval.

This goal is now a matter of urgency given the uncertainties surrounding the forthcoming US foreign policy in a divided America, with all its implications for our future world order. The challenges facing the European institutions in their new and recent configuration and the next NATO Secretary General are enormous.

It is for this reason that EuroDéfense-France and its European partners in the EuroDefense network must work together to turn these risks into opportunities by kick-starting Europe into gear, making our fellow citizens conscious of the importance of the defence sector and proposing to those in power solutions conducive to securing Europe’s long-term defence.

Jean-Marc Vigilant,

Major General, French Air & Space Force (retired)

President of EuroDéfense-France