Overview
- Gen. Fabien Mandon, who testified Thursday to the National Assembly’s defense panel, said an open war with Russia is his main worry for force planning.
- He cited French intelligence that projects Russian troops rising from 1.3 million in 2025 to 1.9 million by 2030, with heavy tanks growing from 4,000 to 7,000 and the navy holding near 230 to 240 combat ships.
- The government seeks to add €36 billion to the 2024–2030 Military Programming Law, a multi‑year plan that sets the defense budget and priorities.
- Mandon announced a new supersonic missile called Stratus that is designed to knock out enemy air defenses.
- He warned France cannot count on the same level of U.S. support under President Donald Trump and urged more European self‑reliance as wars and terror threats persist across several regions.