June 9,
2008:Â French Defense Ministry readiness
documents were leaked to the media, revealing what a lot of people in the
military already knew. That is, the French armed forces are largely a hollow
shell. Most of the money goes to the payroll and procurement, and not enough to
maintenance. As a result, half the armored vehicles, and over half the
aircraft, are not fit for service. Spare parts, and maintenance personnel are
in short supply. This can be most easily seen by comparing how much is spent
each year per person in the military. In the United States, it's $350,000. In
Britain (which also has maintenance problems), it's $194,000, while in France
it is $84,000. The money goes mainly for show. Lots of troops, with modern
weapons that look good, but break down if you try and use them. The leaked
report listed numerous breakdowns during a recent operation against Somali
pirates. It was only the skill of the troops, and luck, that prevented this
from turning into a disaster.
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The French
problem is a common one throughout Europe, where the post Cold War military is
as seen more of a jobs program, to keep unemployment down, than as a serious
attempt to maintain military power. To solve that problem, newly elected French
president Sarkozy is proposing a unified European military, or at least a
common foreign intervention force. This would be funded more generously than
the regular armed forces, so that equipment would be ready for action. If that proposal fails, France wants to
shrink its armed forces, so as to provide more money for maintenance and
logistics, and a force that will not always be operating on a shoestring.
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