"Thank you and well done". Two words spoken by the President of the Republic to the attention of the armed forces for their commitment during the health crisis linked to the coronavirus pandemic.
Monday, Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the military community, gathered in the gardens of the Hôtel de Brienne, for their contribution to the fight against the pandemic in the context of Operation Resilience.
"In the storm, the last bulwark of the Nation"
“Faced with the violent onset of the pandemic in the heart of our country, faced with the unprecedented health crisis it had to face, you immediately responded present (…) You were faithful to your deep vocation, that of "to be, in the turmoil, the last bulwark of the Nation and the ferment of its resilience", argued the head of state.
Before an audience of guests narrowed to less than 500 people, half made up of families of soldiers killed or injured in operations during the past year, Emmanuel Macron also saluted the memory of the deceased personnel, including the 13 soldiers who died in late 2019 in the collision of two helicopters in Mali.
Meeting with bereaved families
“In outdoor theaters, on our soil, in mainland France and in our overseas territories, 31 soldiers from our armies were killed by the enemy or died on operational missions. Their life given for the fatherland obliges us. And I want to pay them a solemn tribute this evening, ”he said before speaking at length with the bereaved families, after his speech.
In the Sahel, where 5,100 French soldiers are deployed within the framework of the anti-jihadist operation Barkhane, "the work of our armies has allowed notable progress, recognized victories, I congratulate you", he reaffirmed, stressing that he would have "at the end of the year to make decisions again on our engagement in this theater of operations".
Maintaining financial resources
Concerning the Mediterranean area, which “will be the challenge of the coming years as there are many crisis factors associated with it”, the French president considered it “crucial” that Europe remains in control of its destiny, without leaving it to "Other powers", without naming Turkey and Russia.
The Head of State finally wanted to reassure the military on maintaining the increased financial resources promised under the 2019-2025 Military Programming Law, while the economic shock caused by the health crisis raised fears that it would be called into question of this budget increase.
"Europe is facing the return of powers, the disinhibition of behavior, the use of force and intimidation, while multilateralism is weakened and our American ally seems to be questioning its strategic objectives," said Emmanuel Macron. In this context, we must continue the effort initiated to strengthen and modernize our defense tool (…) Count on me, I will stay the course (…) so that you can always have the means to accomplish your missions. "
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