Alert in Paris: the French army without weapons or ammunition 

The following lines are translated from the original article in Italian.

General alarm in Paris. After long and quiet routines, so much skimping and constant budget cuts, the war in Ukraine has roughly upset the fallacious certainties and lazy habits of politicians, generals and admirals. Suddenly, the French armed forces (theoretically Europe's largest military complex and the iron spear of a hypothetical continental armada) have discovered themselves unprepared to deal with a high-intensity conflict such as the one currently under way in the East. The Gauls lack planes, ships, tanks, guns and, above all, ammunition.

This is the unequivocal and incontrovertible fact that emerges from the report of a special parliamentary committee set up by Emmanuel Macron in the aftermath of the Russian invasion. From the document - drafted by deputies and senators from all horizons and more than fifty hearings with senior ranks and experts in military affairs and geopolitics - the problem is clear: the arsenals are desolately empty and to rebuild them more or less quickly (at least three years are needed for the missile compartment) requires at least 6-7 billion euros. An enormity.

Senator Christian Cambon, chairman of the committee, has no doubts. Analyzing the first day of fighting in Ukraine, the politician pointed out that the Russians in just 24 hours consumed as much ammunition as the Armée used in an entire year; therefore, in the event of a "real" confrontation, the transalpine army would find itself without ammunition "in three to four days. We are no longer able to sustain a conflict of long duration."

A disturbing gap whose responsibilities, according to Cambon, must be divided among the "different governments, right-wing as well as left-wing, that have succeeded each other in France since 1990. They all asked 'why stockpile ammunition that we will never fire?' The results are before our eyes." The shortage of materials horizontally touches every Defense departments: "tanks have less than half of the standard ammunition in stock, ditto for ships. In 2019, Admiral Christophe Prazuck, chief of staff of the "Royale," had to order a drastic reduction in sea exercises. Each of our frigates fires only one missile every two years. One missile, not two, not three, just one. Basically a firecracker."

Equally worrisome is training level of law enforcement agencies. Due to the scarcity of ammunition gendarmes and policemen have had to minimize their attendance at firing ranges. Despite the threat of domestic terrorism and the growing instability of the suburbs (increasingly multiracial islands controlled by Islamic extremists and/or common delinquency) more than half of the operators have failed to achieve the timeline set by regulations, i.e., three tests per year. No more shooting because of a shortage of cartridges.

An urgency that is not easily solved. For many reasons. Since the late 1990s - spearheaded by the government of socialist Lionel Jospin - the already thriving Gallic defense industry has gradually shrunk, and since then most of the DGA's (the Direction générale de l'armement) historical suppliers have closed their doors or been acquired by foreign companies. Emblematic is the parable of Manurhin, an Alsatian company that has specialized in the production of ammunition and small arms for more than a century. A French excellence. But for Jospin, then prime minister, and his successors, too expensive, too wasteful. Hence a clean break. Sharp. The DGA, i.e., the Elysée and the various governments, decided to buy the (little) ammunition needed abroad and thus, to close all relations with Manurhin. For budgetary reasons.

For two decades and more, the Mulhouse-based company continued to sell its excellent products in more than sixty countries - from the U.S. to Egypt - and finally in 2018 it was acquired by the Emirates Defence Industry Company.

But that is not all. As Cambron recoils, "for next-generation weapons (missiles, drones, avionics) the situation is even worse. Soon France will have to depend for its purchases entirely on foreign suppliers. At home today we produce almost nothing." The senator is right. For France to regain credible and autonomous military autonomy, the investments in the 2019 program (300 billion in spending spread over seven years) will not be enough, and will require much, much more.

In light of events, for the committee, in addition to recommending the much-needed resumption of munitions (and thus revitalize the entire national supply chain, meaning new jobs, more national security and, why not?, voters...), a radical modernization plan for the much-neglected armed forces is urgently needed.

In view of these events, for the commission, in addition to recommending the indispensable resumption of ammunition (and thus revitalize the entire national supply chain, meaning new jobs, more national security and, why not, voters...), it is urgent to put in place a radical modernization plan for the much-neglected armed forces

For the Parisian senators and deputies (all suddenly awakened by history...), it is no longer time for cuts or savings. The Gaullist nuclear deterrent is a palliative. Soldiers, weapons and ammunition are necessary. It is urgent to invest heavily in the navy, the army and the air force, and then to invest more money (a lot of money) in new technologies: drones, robots, space, cyber security. Finally, as if by chance, the report envisages the overhaul of the decommissioned French military health system. One never knows. Many, too many casualties are expected in the near future. This is not good news.