French Chief of Staff: Our army must be prepared for a shock in the face of Russia news

French Army Chief of Staff Fabien Mandon stressed that his forces must be “prepared for a shock within 3 or 4 years” in the face of Russia, which may seek to “continue the war on our continent,” as part of his justification for France’s “rearmament efforts.”

General Mandon – who was speaking on Wednesday before members of the Defense Committee in the National Assembly – said, “The first goal I set for the armed forces is to be prepared for a shock within 3 or 4 years, which will be like a test,” pointing out that “the test may already be taking place in hybrid forms, but perhaps (it will be something) more violent.”

Mandon, who took command of the French armed forces on September 1, indicated that Russia may seek “to continue the war on our continent, and this is the decisive element of what is being prepared for it.”

According to Agence France-Presse, the analysis of the French Chief of Staff is consistent with the analysis of the German intelligence services, which warned last week that Russia is ready to “enter into a direct military conflict with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO),” a threat that may be translated into reality before the year 2029.

Mandon pointed out that Moscow considers Europe to be “collectively weak,” stressing that the Russian side “does not hesitate to resort to force,” but he said, “We have everything it takes to be confident of ourselves,” noting that in economic, demographic, or industrial terms, the Europeans will outperform Russia.

He continued, “Russia cannot intimidate us if we want to defend ourselves,” justifying the reasons for increasing the military budget.

“If our potential competitors, our adversaries, realize that we are dedicated to defending ourselves, that we have this determination, then they might back down,” Mandon said. “But if they feel that we are not prepared to defend ourselves, I don’t see what would stop them.”