France

Russia’s Mistral Warship Sets Sail for First Time

By AP

A French-built warship designed to strengthen Russia’s ability to deploy troops, tanks and helicopter gunships is getting its first test run Wednesday — just as Western powers are trying to rein in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military threat to Ukraine.

France Contributed $294 Million to Subsidize British Carriers

By John Lichfield, Independent

The French government’s public spending watchdog protested this week that a defence co-operation agreement signed by Jacques Chirac and Tony Blair in 2006 led to “a French contribution pure and simple to the financing of [two] British aircraft carriers in their early development phase.”

France Investing a Billion Euros to Upgrade Cyber Defenses

By Reuters and AFP

From Marine Pennetier, Reuters:  France unveiled plans on Friday to bolster long-neglected defences against cyber attacks, with 1 billion euros ($1.36 billion) of investment foreseen to bring the country’s technology up to speed with NATO partners.

NATO’s New Power Triad: US, UK, and France Should Deepen Defense Cooperation

By James Stavridis and Leo Michel, Foreign Policy

At the strategic level, informal trilateral consultations among top U.S., British, and French policymakers and military officials are nothing new.

US-French Cyber Security Cooperation

By White House

The United States values working with France on cybersecurity, which is important for ensuring the vibrancy of our economies and enhancing our shared security.

Dungan Comments on Hollande State Visit

Nicholas Dungan, a nonresident senior fellow with the Council’s Program on Transatlantic Relations, was interviewed recently about French President François Hollande’s visit to the United States. In the remarks below, Dungan illuminates the interplay of French and American politics, the impact of Syria on the transatlantic relationship, and how this state visit is viewed from both an […]

New Era in French-American Military Cooperation

By François Heisbourg, New York Times

France worries deeply — as do other European and Middle Eastern allies — about America’s foreign policy shift after Iraq and Afghanistan, its reluctance to put American forces in the front line in the world’s trouble spots.

Obama and Hollande: France and the US Enjoy a Renewed Alliance

By Barack Obama and François Hollande, Washington Post

Today, American and French diplomats are preparing for talks with Iran that build on the agreement that has halted progress on and rolled back key elements of the Iranian nuclear program.

French Hard Power: Living on the Strategic Edge

By Dorothée Fouchaux, AEI

According to the appropriations statute that follows and implements the white paper’s program, the French defense budget will flat line at €3.38 billion over the next two years and creep ever so slowly to €32.51 billion in 2019.