Defence budget: Jean-Yves Le Drian regales his troops – Liberation

Committed to both the overseas theaters and on national territory, the defense will get a serious blow budget thumb. “This is the first time a military program law is reviewed at the legislature of current rise,” welcomed the entourage of the Minister of Defence, Jean-Yves Le Drian has presented Wednesday morning his “Project Refresh law of military programming law” for the 2015-2019 period. The text should go before Parliament in an emergency procedure the first week of June. “No touch” the 2015 budget was already committed François Hollande on April 29 at the defense counsel exit. The € 31.4 billion for the year were therefore “safe havens” by the grace of the presidential speech.

For 2016-2019, the Ministry of Defence will benefit from extension 3.8 billion euros. Overall, the period 2016-2019, France will spend 162.41 billion francs to its defense effort. Of the 3.8 billion francs taken directly to the state budget, the largest part will be assigned to the “strengthening professional capacity” , clear to staff costs and cost and support structures. The payroll of the Army will indeed increase significantly as the size of the “operational land force” should amount to 77,000 men instead of 66,000 originally planned in the military planning law. A strengthening dictated by the new mission assigned to “ragpickers” since the attacks of January 2015, namely the protection of sensitive sites in the country as part of Operation Sentinel. A deployment intended to last until late June announced the President of the Republic during its February press conference but is now part of the duration. The army must be able to maintain 7,000 troops on the territory. A workforce that is able to reach 10,000 people in case of increased risk.

The right to open

The remaining billion euros will be used for half of the ” regeneration material “ and the other to finance equipment purchases already scheduled but many. Return the fruit of the teachings of external operations which led air combat helicopters has become an essential component, the Department intends to acquire 7 and 6 Tiger helicopters NH90 helicopters for the transport of troops. In the list of Jean-Yves Le Drian races also included the acquisition in the form of purchase or lease of two Hercules C 130. History overcome the vagaries of the commissioning of the future A400M transport aircraft above after the crash of one of these devices in Spain May 9

Another big component of this bill, which will now be the opportunity given to men of the “great mute” to open their mouths the right to join together in “national professional associations of military” . A right that so far they were forbidden by French law. But the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that the “lawful restrictions” put forward by the French authorities were not going to justify the absolute prohibition of the freedom of association. The Ministry of Defence has had to comply. But, be careful, take care to specify the entourage of the Minister, “no way to talk about unions. We will not conduct collective bargaining to determine whether to go on or not Opex “. The right to open his mouth, but certainly while keeping a finger on the seam of the pants.