France is one of the founding members of NATO. 1966, the then French president Charles de Gaulle, worried that American control of NATO would undermine France's military independence, announced his withdrawal from military integration institutions, but retained NATO's political membership. Since the end of the Cold War, France has gradually re-participated in the NATO military system, but it is still outside the core military integration institutions.
:: France is currently the fourth largest donor to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (OTAN) in terms of funds and the number of troops sent. France paid for NATO and sent troops, but it did not occupy a seat on the NATO Council!
* France has never left NATO. While hoping to regain NATO command, Nicholas? Sarkozy maintained a high degree of transparency in completing this final procedure. This is the significance of the French Parliament's debate on foreign policy on March 7, 2007.
:: Returning to NATO does not mean abandoning EU defense. There is no competition between the two, but EU defense and NATO complement each other. France has proved this when it holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.
* Because alliance does not mean agreeing to everything, France remains true to its principles and abides by its commitments. It is based on this principle that France hopes to reform its relations with NATO.
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* 1949: NATO was established.
* 58%: the proportion of French people in favor of France's return to NATO's integrated military command.
*1.70 billion euros: France is the fourth largest donor of NATO funds.
What is NATO?
* NATO was founded in 1949, under which North American and European countries gathered. Today, 26 member countries gather around the same values: democracy, freedom and peaceful settlement of disputes.
The alliance has a clear goal: to ensure the freedom and security of all its members. France shares and always defends these values and goals.
:: NATO embodies the enduring bond between North American security and European security. This is exactly what we want to strengthen!
What is NATO's integrated military organization?
* In order to organize large-scale allied military operations, NATO has an integrated military command organization, which is divided into two headquarters:-NATO Allied Combat Command (ACO), which is responsible for directing military operations, and its highest command (SHAPE) headquarters is located in Mons, Belgium; -NATO Allied Transformation Command (ACT), which is responsible for all NATO military force transformation affairs (determining military requirements, especially in terms of military force and military operation support).
:: Specifically, the troops sent by member States to NATO carry out various operations under the command of this integrated military command organization.
* Every NATO member is a part of this integrated military command organization, with France as the only exception!
Are you going back to NATO?
* At this point, we should be clear: France has never left NATO, and France is a founding member of 1949 NATO. France has just left NATO's integrated military command. 1966, General Charles de Gaulle made this decision because in the context of the Cold War, France did not want to have foreign troops stationed in France that were not under French command.
Today, the world pattern has changed: we are no longer stuck in the "cold war mentality" that still prevailed in the 1980s. Many former Warsaw Pact members have joined NATO: in the face of global threats, such as terrorism and nuclear proliferation, some former Eastern European countries understand NATO's values of protecting us.
* France has done a very important job on this road, and has not really taken the post of NATO's integrated military command:-1992 When Mitterrand was in power, French officers re-participated in the work of NATO's military commissioner within the framework of Bosnia operation. -In Jacques? When Chirac was in power, France sent troops to participate in NATO's integrated military command organization in 2004. France has three general staff offices in Lille, Lyon and Toulon, which are qualified to direct allied military operations. France and NATO have sent troops to Afghanistan and Kosovo together.
What we are reforming today is only the way, because President People's Republic of China (PRC) has always maintained a high degree of transparency in the process.
Why did France invest so much?
:: France is the fourth largest contributor to NATO in terms of funds and troops. France participates in NATO military operations, accounting for 7% of the total force, and about 4,650 soldiers operate under the banner of NATO.
* But France has no command and can't influence the strategic decision of the allied forces. We are heavyweight actors who don't participate in script writing!
* NATO is the only large organization in France that cannot be put into place and exert influence. Returning to NATO's military command is to give yourself the ability to act, not just to obey people.
Is European Defence Against NATO?
* We are willing to cooperate with NATO to build European defense, not oppose it. This is because we have opposed the two for too long in the past, so that European defense has always stayed in a blind spot.
* France's status is ambiguous: as the only member outside NATO's unified military command, the "French exception" has long been suspected by EU partners. During France's rotating presidency of the European Union, we clarified France's position: European defense is a top priority.
* tangible results: thanks to the efforts of France during its rotating presidency, with the strengthening of the EU's military operational capability, the European security and defense policy has made concrete progress, and more funds have been invested in solving regional crises (the term of the EU peacekeeping force in Chad was extended, and observer missions were sent to Georgia and Kosovo in September and 65438+February, respectively, to carry out non-military monitoring tasks, and the first anti-piracy "Atlantis" maritime operation was launched. )
Will the independence of France be affected?
* The principle of independence as determined by General Charles de Gaulle 1966 remains unchanged;
* When sending troops to participate in the operation, France maintains complete freedom of judgment under any circumstances.
* In peacetime, France will not hand over the commander-in-chief to NATO. France's policy will depend on its judgment of the situation.
:: With regard to nuclear deterrence, France remains completely independent. We work side by side with Britain to make France's nuclear deterrent serve both EU defense and NATO.
It is based on this principle that we will reform the relationship between France and NATO at the Strasbourg-Kyle Summit on April 3-4, 2009, making NATO more flexible and effective, and making NATO a place for allies to discuss issues.
In addition, the French know very well that our independence will not be affected: 58% of the French support France's return to NATO's integrated military command.
:: Alliance does not mean agreeing to everything: we are independent and free partners.
Will France be involuntarily involved in a conflict?
* No. The Atlantic alliance is founded on a basic principle: all decisions must be made by consensus after exchange of views and consultations among member States. Every decision of NATO is an expression of the collective will of all sovereign member States.
:: Specifically, it is up to all countries to decide whether to allocate funds for each operation. Even within the framework of integrated military command, it is autonomous and dominant. We still remember that Germany is a member of NATO's integrated military command, but it refused to follow its partner countries in the Iraq conflict in 2003! Even if Article 5 of the NATO Charter is invoked (an attack on any NATO member is regarded as an attack on all NATO members), member States will not send troops automatically.
Citation excerpt
Nicholas? Sarkozy: "France will gain its due position in NATO. This is France's interest and choice. This is the position of a free and United ally, an independent and participating ally. This is France, a country that serves our values and peace, assumes all its responsibilities in the world and talks with all countries. "