The years pass and the relations between the head of state and his army evolve. Sharp, even scathing after his election as head of the country, Emmanuel Macron is now more conciliatory with the military. The direct confrontation gave way to a form of cordial understanding.
Monday, Emmanuel Macron went to the Ministry of Defense for the speech to the armies, as every eve of July 14. "I will stay the course" promised the head of state to the soldiers worried about their budgetary situation. In three years, relations between Emmanuel Macron and the army have evolved, going from direct confrontation to a form of cordial distance.
We remember the famous "I am your leader" of July 13, 2017. An award from the new President of the Republic, just before beheading General de Villiers, the Chief of Staff who openly contested the budgetary choices of the new power . Emmanuel Macron, young president, had opted for the strong way and installed a vertical practice of power. Three years later, relations are calmed. Between the president and the military, it is a form of polite and republican distancing. We went from "I am your chief" to "I respect your stronghold".
We will say things as they are. Unlike his predecessors Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande, military affairs did not excite Emmanuel Macron. Hence the importance of the reassuring words of the president on Monday, because the general staff fears that adaptation projects will be torpedoed by the health crisis: whether it be the project of a new aircraft carrier or the new challenges of cyberwar and the new space battle promised by the head of state last year. Operation Barkhane in the Sahel, where the situation has deteriorated, is costing not only men but also equipment.
This is why the armies are satisfied with their minister Florence Parly who succeeds in her role of budgetary shield against the assaults of Bercy always in search of credits to be cut. As a sign of this normalized relationship, the military accepted Emmanuel Macron's decision to sacrifice their parade before the French on the sanitary altar. An important sacrifice because they prepare throughout the year to honor this link between the nation and its army. This shows the importance of this sacrifice requested by the head of the army. Politically, the president has trouble achieving national unity. The military provide him at least today with the possibility of reaching harmony.