Over the next two to three years under the leadership of his chief of staff [CEMAT], General Pierre Schill, the army will undergo a profound transformation to “achieve daily impact, discourage aggression and be prepared for the toughest missions.” And this in a “new strategic era” characterized in particular by the disinhibition of the use of force, as the war in Ukraine showed.
Among the “impacts” that the army must deliver, General Schill mentions “protection and resilience on the French mainland and overseas,” “strategic solidarity in Europe and the Middle East,” and “prevention” and “influence,” particularly in Africa and the Indo-Pacific.”
To achieve these three goals, the Army's transformation will occur along four axes: Be and Last, Protect, Act and Innovate.
The first axis emphasizes the “command school,” human resources [avec un plan de fidélisation, la création d’une fondation Terre et la réappropriation de « l’infrastructure de contact » et sur la notion « d’économie de guerre », laquelle vise surtout à faire un effort particulier en matière de maintien en condition opérationnelle [MCO] and begin rebuilding inventories.
The “Protect” axis will include, in part, a territorialization of the reserve and the creation of a common headquarters of the national territory [EMIA-TN] and strengthening the army system abroad. It will also be about “spreading the spirit of defensiveness” by addressing young people.
As far as the innovation aspect is concerned, some measures have already been implemented [comme avec la création de l’École des drones, par exemple]. When there is a lot of talk about robotics [avec Vulcain] and remote-controlled ammunition [MTO]will be about turning the army into a “cyber army” through the creation of a military school of influence [en 2024], two “cyber” companies, four influence units and an “electronic warfare” detachment in each regiment. In addition, collaboration with the “CAESAr” club, the “CaMo” delivery to the land component of the Belgian defense or even the MGCS is encouraged [avec l’Allemagne et, désormais, l’Italie]. Note that CEMAT mentions “partnership developments” in the area of “distant fires”.
Finally, the Act axis will undoubtedly entail significant structural changes. This is based on three concepts: “partner at large”, “framework nation for collective defense” and “army of non-evasion”. The two divisions of the army [la 1ère et la 3ème] Everyone is assigned a precisely defined task.
The 3rd Division will therefore be “the instrument of prevention and influence”. And as such, it will be required for “operational military partnerships” in the Indian Ocean and Africa. The 1st Division will, for its part, focus on Europe.
As a reminder: The 1st Division includes the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade, the 9th Marine Infantry Brigade, the 7th Armored Brigade and the Franco-German Brigade. The 11th Parachute Brigade, the 6th Light Armored Brigade and the 2nd Armored Brigade belong to the 3rd Division, which has three other “organic elements”, namely the 2nd Dragoon Regiment [spécialiste du NRBC], the 31st Engineer Regiment and the 54th Artillery Regiment. It is likely that the composition of these two large entities will continue to evolve due to their “regionalization”.