Military decorations during a commemoration of the Battle of Britain, in Paris, September 16, 2020. -

CELINE BREGAND / SIPA

Another good year for the French Armed Forces portfolio.

The ministry's budget will grow again in 2021, to 39.2 billion euros (+ 4.5%), in accordance with the 2019-2025 military programming law.

For the third year in a row, the budget has increased by 1.7 billion euros.

According to the entourage of Minister Florence Parly, this amount "is part of a clear policy of implementing the commitments of the President of the Republic: to start and consolidate the rise in power of our armies".

The 2021 draft budget is 22% higher than it was in 2017 (32.2 billion).

This cumulative increase "represents two years of spending on equipment for the armed forces," argues the entourage of the minister.

Outside this perimeter, the appropriations of the “Veterans” mission continue to decrease (-3.4% to 2 billion euros), a consequence of the advancing age of a large part of this population.

New weapon orders

Of this increase of 1.7 billion, two-thirds will be devoted to major armaments programs.

In 2021, the ministry plans to order 30 joint light helicopters, a second defense and intervention frigate (FDI), 120 refurbished light armored vehicles, Mica air-to-air missiles, and the launch of studies leading to a demonstrator. - sort of preprototype - in flight in 2026 of the future combat aircraft developed with Germany and Spain (Scaf).

As for deliveries, the armies will receive in 2021 a Fremm air defense frigate, 3 A330 MRTT tankers, 157 Griffon armored vehicles, 20 Jaguar armored vehicles and a Ceres electromagnetic listening satellite.

14 Mirage 2000-D, 2 Atlantique-2 aircraft and 3 C-130 transport aircraft will also be renovated.

The French military will receive 12,000 HK-416 assault rifles (replacing Famas), the inventory of which will rise to 50,000 by the end of 2021. “Small” weapons programs like this represent a total of 1, 4 billion euros in 2021 while 5 billion euros must be devoted to the modernization of nuclear deterrence.

The “OPEX” budget hits the ceiling

The Army Health Service (SSA), strongly mobilized during the health crisis, will benefit from a "specific effort" with a 27% increase in its budget in order in particular to replenish its stocks (masks, respirators, etc.).

On the human resources side, 300 additional jobs will be created in 2021, mainly for intelligence and cyber defense.

The ministry is also initiating a policy of simplifying the remuneration of the military, which today includes some 170 different bonuses and allowances.

Investments in the renovation of the housing of soldiers and their families will be continued for nearly 400 million euros in order to retain staff.

The amount of provisions intended to finance the multiple French external operations (OPEX) (Sahel, Levant, etc.) is set at 1.1 billion euros, as in 2020, as well as 100 million for internal operations (Sentinel, Resilience).

But this year, "given the strengthening of Barkhane and Operation Resilience (reinforcement of the armies during the health crisis), it will very probably be higher" than the amount budgeted, according to the Minister's entourage.

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