The French White Paper on defence and national security
European Ambition
The White Paper describes the hopes and disappointments born out of the European construction. Although the obstacles are not dissimulated, clear support is expressed in favour of European ambition; concrete measures are proposed which deal with defence, civil security, security of energy supply, industry and training of human resources.
The White Paper is clearly in favour of the drafting of a European White Paper on Defence and Security.
Since its beginning, European Security and defense policy has been built outside the treaty provisions : ESDP is the result of intergovernmental cooperation, within the EU council.
The French white paper states that European defense policy is a necessity : the EU has no other choice than shouldering more strategic responsibilities.
The main European issues in the White Paper are:
I. Priority to capability and crisis management.
• Constitute effectively and gradually an intervention capability of 60,000 men, deployable for one year in a remote theatre with the necessary air and naval components.
• Readiness to plan for and deploy two or three peace-keeping or peaceenforcement operations simultaneously for a significant duration and several smaller civil operations in separate theatres.
• Compensate for the weaknesses in intervention capability in distant theatres, in particular by sharing the assets of several European countries such as:
o Strategic and tactical transport aircraft (A 400 M, creation of a European military air transport command);
o In-flight refuelling ( example: the Airbus multi-purpose aircraft);
o Mobile-air capability such as helicopters (upgrading and sharing of European assets on the basis of Franco-British and Franco-German cooperation).
o Naval-air capability (association of aircraft carriers, airbase, on-board air units and necessary escort carriers).
• Implement more robust civil crisis management capabilities : the EU must have the necessary human resources to face growing demand: police, gendarmes, judges and lawyers.
• Increase the anticipation and analysis capability by a significantly greater pooling of operation support intelligence
• Insist on the increasing role of the reserve forces, as they play a more and more important part in crisis management
• Reinforce considerably European planning and command capability. The EU must have an independent European standing strategic planning capability. The growing number of EU interventions abroad also requires more military operational planning and command capability.
• Take the necessary measures so that military and civil missions carried out by the EU be under a single strategic Directorate in Brussels.
• Reform the funding procedures for operations outside the EU. In the long term, replace the concept of ‘contribute or pay’ by the principle of financial solidarity amongst member countries. France is also in favour of a significant budget for common foreign and security policy.
II. Develop a European reflex in civilian and military personnel training.
The complexity of crisis management operations means that civilian and military personnel from EU countries require joint training. France is in favour of the following:
• The continuation of initial and on-going training of both a general and specialized nature (example the Franco-German helicopter pilot school and the Advanced European Jet Pilot Training );
• The creation of an exchange and training programme for security and defence;
• The creation of a permanent European crisis management training centre.
III. Promote a rational and competitive European industry.
The White Paper notes that the mastery of all the technological capabilities at national level is no longer possible. France must however maintain the national capability required to ensure the strategic and political autonomy of the Nation in a limited number of sectors, such as: nuclear deterrence, ballistic missiles, nuclear attack submarines and information system security.
France believes that as regards other technologies and capabilities that might be required, the European framework should be privileged. This is the case for fighter aircraft, cruise missiles, satellites, electronic components etc. The procurement policy must also be open to purchases on the world market.
Stimulating industrial cooperation in Europe means in particular:
• Pursuing joint analysis of military requirements.
• Reinforcement of the action of the European Defence Agency.
• Defining joint rules for defence procurement.
IV. Make the EU an effective player in the protection of its citizens.
• Reinforce cooperation against terrorism and organized crime.
• Develop European civil protection : France will defend the creation of a European Operational Centre for civil Protection. It will propose to develop gradually European operational capabilities in the field of civil protection. France will also promote the establishment of a European College for Civil Security.
• Reinforce operational cooperation within the EU against cyber-warfare.
• Reinforce the integrated management of operational cooperation at EU borders.
• Reinforce intergovernmental coordination for the security of strategic resources.
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