At the Forum on Defense and Strategy in Paris on Tuesday, March 24, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Fabien Mandon, warned of the consequences of American decisions in the Middle East. He believes that actions by the United States have “an impact on the security” of France.
A war launched without consultation. The recent military decisions by the United States in the Middle East are not without consequences for Europe. In his opening speech at the Forum on Defense and Strategy in Paris on March 24, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Fabien Mandon, highlighted the repercussions on the security of France and regretted a “less and less visible” ally.
“The actions of the United States have an impact on our security, it affects our interests,” he declared, referring to the Israeli-American bombings on Iran on February 28.
A less and less visible ally
The senior official, recognizing that the United States remains “an ally,” nevertheless points to an increasing lack of consultation by Washington with its European partners.
“They have just decided to intervene in the Near and Middle East without informing us (…). We acted immediately, surprised by an American ally, who remains an ally but is becoming less and less visible and does not bother to inform us when deciding to engage in military operations,” he said.
Quoting on the situation, the Chief of Staff mentioned the French constraint to act hastily when the war in Iran began, in order to “protect citizens traveling in the region.”
“Europe is no longer their priority”
The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces also highlighted the multiple crises that redefine American commitments: “They have told us […] they will struggle to help Ukraine as they did at the beginning of the war, because the war is costly for them in the Near and Middle East.”
More broadly, “once they have deployed all their capacities globally, Europe is no longer their priority,” he said. The United States would now prioritize their own continent as well as Asia, in an increasingly unstable international context.
The empowerment of EU countries
Fabien Mandon also noted a strategic shift. “We are in a moment of awakening, we feel it,” he assured, mentioning a growing number of “meetings between Europeans at NATO.”
In this context, he calls for a reconsideration of balances: “The equation we must solve together is how we, Europeans, reduce our strong dependencies on the United States.” However, he clarified that this is not a break: “It is not at all against the Americans.”
