Frankrike är i färd med att för första gången på 14 år revidera inriktningen för nationens försvar. Den vitbok om försvar och nationell säkerhet som president Nicolas Sarkozy idag lämnar, och som parlamentet diskuterar senare denna månad, verkar vara intressant läsning.

Något ur innehållet (enligt BBC):

• Intelligence budget for new satellites, drones and other surveillance equipment would double.
• Up to 10,000 soldiers would be assigned to internal security duties ranging from pandemics to cyber-attacks.
• A new national security council will be set up at the Elysee palace.
• Some 54,000 military and civilian defence jobs will be cut.
• Some 50 military bases and other defence facilities will be closed.
• France will trim its army, navy and air force from 271,000 troops to 224,000.
  The new policy will also see the number of combat-ready troops reduced from 50,000 to 30,000.
• The country’s defence spending will total 377bn euros ($584bn) from 2009 to 2020, including 200bn euros that will be spent on equipment. As of 2012, the military budget will increase.
• Some of France’s four permanent bases in Africa will be shut down.