France’s security culture
Cold war experiences Historical experiences: the war in Indochina ( ) and the war in Algeria ( ) Philosophical underpinning of France’s foreign policies France/ NATO relations de Gaulle memorandum; 1959 France withdrew its Mediterranean fleet from NATO command; stationing of foreign nuclear weapons on French soil banned; 1962 France’s Atlantic and Channel fleets withdrawn from NATO command; complete withdrawal from NATO integrated military command; relocation of SHAPE The independent nuclear deterrent Autonomous defence posture Indigenous military procurement France’s participation in intra-alliance disputes Military self-sufficiency of France and semi-detached military posture vis-à-vis the NATO countries
Post- cold war options The change in the geo-strategic situation -New security threats -The US policy -New forms of warfare/ the experience of the First Gulf War The Atlantic Alliance transformation
Policy transformation in the immediate aftermath of the cold war, early 1990s Policies priorities towards French Western European partners / IGC and a common defence policy based on WEU, Eurocorps, European nuclear deterrent, joint procurement projects/; the French ambiguity Assessments of NATO transformations: NATO expansion, political role, NATO Rapid Reaction Force the DPC 1991 Bilateral relations Shift in defence priorities: assessment of security threats, military budget allocation, suspension of nuclear tests in the Pacific
Policies in the 1990s- domestic pressures Constitutional arrangements The Balladur government White Paper on defence /1993/: - The nature of the new security threats: included economic aspects -The notion of independence vs. the notion of strategic autonomy related to its ability to deal with complex security crises -The centrality of Europe in French strategic thinking- convergence of interests -Bilateral relations: Eurocorps and Franco-German arms agency -Rapprochement with NATO: NATO Military Committee and participation in out of area peace enforcement operations (after Oslo 1992); NATO Council control over WEU use of NATO forces Mitterrand’s position on the rapprochement with NATO (on the CJTF and the French participation in NATO Military Committee) the Balladur government