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| Grim Economics Shape France’s Military Spending | Grim Economics Shape France’s Military Spending |
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| PARIS — France will effectively freeze its military spending for the next several years, cutting nearly 10 percent of defense jobs while using more money for high-tech equipment, in a bid to maintain its ability to conduct overseas operations like the one in Mali, the government said Monday. | PARIS — France will effectively freeze its military spending for the next several years, cutting nearly 10 percent of defense jobs while using more money for high-tech equipment, in a bid to maintain its ability to conduct overseas operations like the one in Mali, the government said Monday. |
| A strategic review, the first since 2008, tries to reconcile France’s weak economic growth and declining budgets with its ability to take unilateral military action, preserve its nuclear deterrent, and improve its intelligence and cybersecurity. | |
| While spending about 1.5 percent of its gross domestic product on defense, France will remain Europe’s No. 2 in military spending behind Britain. Britain is shrinking its armed forces to 82,000, the lowest number since the Battle of Waterloo, while trying to keep its own nuclear deterrent. | |
| “France wants to maintain its ability to react alone,” President François Hollande said in discussing the report, known as the “Livre Blanc,” or white book, on defense and national security. | “France wants to maintain its ability to react alone,” President François Hollande said in discussing the report, known as the “Livre Blanc,” or white book, on defense and national security. |
| The government, having examined the lessons of recent conflicts in Libya and Mali, decided that it could not afford to cut military spending too severely. | The government, having examined the lessons of recent conflicts in Libya and Mali, decided that it could not afford to cut military spending too severely. |
| The defense budget will remain the same, in nominal terms, for the next three years. But that means that President Hollande’s Socialist government will need to look elsewhere to meet its promises to cut 60 billion euros, or about $79 billion, in state spending over its five-year term. It plans to cut $6.5 billion in 2014 and promises to bring its budget deficit down to 3 percent of gross domestic product. | The defense budget will remain the same, in nominal terms, for the next three years. But that means that President Hollande’s Socialist government will need to look elsewhere to meet its promises to cut 60 billion euros, or about $79 billion, in state spending over its five-year term. It plans to cut $6.5 billion in 2014 and promises to bring its budget deficit down to 3 percent of gross domestic product. |
| But the white paper, at more than 150 pages, foresees a reduction of at least 24,000 jobs in addition to the 54,000 announced in the last white paper in 2008, written under the former president, Nicolas Sarkozy. The current white paper also suggests a reduction in rapid deployment forces from 30,000 to between 15,000 and 20,000. But the paper emphasizes the ability to field up to 7,000 troops in three separate areas concurrently, though plans for a second aircraft carrier will be scrapped. | But the white paper, at more than 150 pages, foresees a reduction of at least 24,000 jobs in addition to the 54,000 announced in the last white paper in 2008, written under the former president, Nicolas Sarkozy. The current white paper also suggests a reduction in rapid deployment forces from 30,000 to between 15,000 and 20,000. But the paper emphasizes the ability to field up to 7,000 troops in three separate areas concurrently, though plans for a second aircraft carrier will be scrapped. |
| France now has about 228,000 military personnel; 10,000 are expected to be cut soon. An additional 66,700 civilians work in the armed forces. | France now has about 228,000 military personnel; 10,000 are expected to be cut soon. An additional 66,700 civilians work in the armed forces. |
| Mr. Hollande’s government has been as tough in its military actions and foreign policy positions as the Sarkozy government, and the defense minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, is generally commended for his stewardship of the ministry as well as the Mali intervention. | Mr. Hollande’s government has been as tough in its military actions and foreign policy positions as the Sarkozy government, and the defense minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, is generally commended for his stewardship of the ministry as well as the Mali intervention. |
| But Mr. Le Drian, in an interview with The New York Times in February, said the conflicts in Mali and Libya had pointed out deficiencies in intelligence gathering by drones, which he called “incomprehensible,” and in the French ability to refuel aircraft and transport troops, requiring help from European allies and especially from Washington. | |
| He promised that while the French were developing their own drones, Paris would seek to buy some from the United States or Israel; the white paper foresees more efforts at shared assets like transport planes with European allies. He also said he expected new investment in special forces. | He promised that while the French were developing their own drones, Paris would seek to buy some from the United States or Israel; the white paper foresees more efforts at shared assets like transport planes with European allies. He also said he expected new investment in special forces. |
| “The principal question in the white paper is how to adapt defense to a financial crisis — defense is a matter of sovereignty, and so is the security of the public accounts,” he said in the interview. But he also said new investments “seem to me inevitable, like intelligence and special forces.” | “The principal question in the white paper is how to adapt defense to a financial crisis — defense is a matter of sovereignty, and so is the security of the public accounts,” he said in the interview. But he also said new investments “seem to me inevitable, like intelligence and special forces.” |
| The paper proposes a defense budget of $235 billion between 2014 and 2019, comparable to the 2008 white paper. The equipment budget is foreseen at about $21 billion a year, down from $24 billion forecast in 2008, but still enough to give some optimism to the 4,000 or so defense-related enterprises in France, which employ about 165,000 people. | The paper proposes a defense budget of $235 billion between 2014 and 2019, comparable to the 2008 white paper. The equipment budget is foreseen at about $21 billion a year, down from $24 billion forecast in 2008, but still enough to give some optimism to the 4,000 or so defense-related enterprises in France, which employ about 165,000 people. |
| Political opposition figures said the cuts would damage France’s ability to act independently. Vincent Desportes, an outspoken former director of a military school, said the proposed reduction in deployable forces “makes France a really minor actor in coalition operations.” Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, an opposition member of the parliamentary foreign affairs commission, said that “we have already reduced the army’s size a lot over the past five years.” | Political opposition figures said the cuts would damage France’s ability to act independently. Vincent Desportes, an outspoken former director of a military school, said the proposed reduction in deployable forces “makes France a really minor actor in coalition operations.” Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, an opposition member of the parliamentary foreign affairs commission, said that “we have already reduced the army’s size a lot over the past five years.” |