FRANCE'S NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH NATO

UNCLAS PARIS 004131 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EB and EUR/WE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EFIN ECON ELAB PGOV FR SUBJECT: FRANCE'S NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH NATO ¶1. (U) SUMMARY. French Defense Minister Herve Morin used the September 10 - 11 "Summer Defense University" (an annual conference organized by the two houses of French parliament) to lay the foundation for a transformation of France's armed forces including a new relationship with NATO. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) The National Assembly and Senate's Defense Committees held their fifth annual Summer Defense University September 10 -11 in Toulouse. The event focused on space and drew French Defense Minister, Herve Morin, the presidents of parliamentary defense commissions from eighteen European countries, military leaders from throughout Europe, French industrial leaders, and one American representative, Leo Michel from the National Defense University. Over the 2 day event, discussions covered geo-political scenarios for the year 2030, space, dissuasion, prevention, protection and projection. Participants noted the lack of deployable European troops and stressed France's need to develop its own defense programs. ¶3. (U) Three high-ranking government leaders, the Vice President of the Senate Commission, the National Assembly Commission President and DefMin Morin all called for a new relationship between NATO and the European Defense and Security Policy (EDSP) during their comments to the conference. Most participants agreed that France should find a balance between NATO and EDSP and should be more active in NATO. Leo Michel encouraged France to increase its participation in NATO's allied command during his comments and pointed out that NATO does not subsume national forces. Minister Morin devoted a portion of his speech to the consolidation of alliances, pointing out that France needed to change its attitude on NATO. He ended his remarks with his "profound conviction" that an EDSP is not possible unless France clarifies its position in NATO. Morin also stressed the need for joint forces in the military, specifically citing human resource and information technology systems redundancies that needed streamlining. ¶5. (U) Comment: The GOF viewed this event as a chance to advance discussions of alliances with military organizations. Military modernization plans for the future will be launched in a defense "White Paper" now under preparation (with a March 2008 deadline). Local military officials stressed Morin's statement that the White Paper process would include sensitive, and previously off limits, issues. End Comment. Stapleton