William Molinié 06h23, September 07, 2022

France gave 18 pieces of Caesar guns to the Ukrainian army, units taken directly from the army's stock which represent 25% of the total available.

It takes more than a year and a half to deliver this piece of artillery.

To reduce these delays, the Minister for the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu is organizing a round table this Wednesday with eight French industrialists and representatives of the defense sector.

The war in Ukraine raises the question of the autonomy of the French armies.

The delivery of Caesar guns to the Ukrainian army raises questions about the speed of tricolor supply.

Since his appointment, Sébastien Lecornu has received half a dozen industrialists in his office at the Hôtel de Brienne.

The Minister of the Armed Forces intends to embark them towards "a war economy".

Understand, produce more, faster, and cheaper.

Which poses beyond the injunction of strategic choices.

Like that of the ultraspecialization of the material.

>> Find Europe Matin in replay and podcast here 

According to information from Europe 1, to increase delivery rates, the State wants tools that are simpler to manufacture, even if it means ignoring certain options.

Then comes the question of inventory.

"Delivering a cannon without ensuring that the ammunition will be available makes no sense," argues the Ministry of the Armed Forces. 

Towards a relocation of production

Another major subject: the visibility of order books.

Manufacturers believe that they cannot fully invest if the contracts are not signed.

"They have good visibility", we dispute in the entourage of Sébastien Lecornu.

"It's up to them too to take a step towards us", we continue.

Finally, the question of strategic autonomy is crucial.

>> READ ALSO - Ukraine: does France have the means for a war against Russia?

The State wants to relocate the production of certain materials so as not to be dependent on a foreign supplier.

But this requires guarantees between the public and the private sector.

According to our information, a list of mutual commitments must be signed by the Directorate General for Armaments and the manufacturers at the end of this round table.