French general: Europe must show hard strength or will become a game tomorrow
– Weakened Europe may become a game tomorrow, after two centuries of the dominance of the West – warns General Burkhard in extremely honest statements for Politico and the French newspaper “Liberation”. – It is not only about armed forces, but about the fact that the dynamics of hard strength currently dominates – adds the military.
The former head of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi also emphasized last week that the EU must stop pretending that it can exert global influence only as an economic force and the consumer market. He emphasized that the alliance got a “very brutal alarm signal from Donald Trump” that he must think in a much more strategic way about security and defense expenditure.
On Wednesday, the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni accused the European Union of falling into indisputability on the international arena. “We must be ready to pay the price for our freedom and independence,” she said.
Burkhard, who at the end of the month leaves his position, at which he will be replaced by the Fabien Mandon Air Force General, heads the French Armed Forces from 2021.
Under his leadership, they strengthened their presence on the eastern flank of Europe and became more active in NATO, while preparing for a high -intensity war. In recent months, the French general was also a co -chairing coalition of volunteers, a group of countries working on security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a weapon with Russia.
Burkhard described the world defined by four political factors: The use of force to resolve conflicts, pressure from countries such as China, Russia, North Korea and Iran to challenge the West, the strength of the information war and the impact of climate change.
– More than Russian tanks, Europeans are threatened by the establishment of an alternative order not related to the West. If Russia is able to break Europe without an armed attack, it will choose this path – says the highest -ranking French military in its office at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Armed Forces in Paris, known as Balard.
– In the future world, the strategic solidarity connecting European countries must be very, very strong. No country in Europe can play a significant role independently – he adds. – It's not about building something against the United States, and even against Russia, but rather about achieving the critical mass necessary to exert influence and avoid selling piece by piece – he describes.
The challenge for Europeans has always been to speak one voice, especially in matters of defense policy. Madrid presses for release from the new NATO goal, which is the purpose of five percent. GDP for defense expenses, after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated that Russia is not a direct threat to Spain, which shows how different European countries perceive threats.
“The difficulty in the field of European defense is to take into account the strategic interests of all European countries,” notes Burkhard. – Estonians do not have the same strategic vision as the Portuguese; Nobody can deny it. You should find a compromise solution – he adds.
How to restore the trust of Ukrainians to Europe
These strategic interests include the preservation of Ukraine's independence, and more and more pressure is exerted to European countries to take action.
Despite many unanswered questions, discussions on security guarantees for Kiev have gained momentum in recent weeks, after Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska.
“The very strong desire for the President of the USA to reach a peace agreement gives new dynamics,” Burkhard said the day after returning from Washington, where he participated in talks at the military level.
After a meeting at the White House with Volodymyr Zelnski from Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron from France, Friedrich Merz from Germany and Meloni, Trump's administration even signaled readiness to participate in security guarantees. According to reports, this could include intelligence resources, supervision and recognition, as well as command and control as well as aviation support.
For most European capitals, the military support of the United States is a preliminary condition for taking any actions aimed at monitoring a potential peace agreement in Ukraine.
“Americans, above all, believe that Europeans must demonstrate their involvement in taking over responsibility,” emphasizes Burkhar. – This is a “egg or chicken” dilemma: some countries are ready to make obligations only if there are American guarantees. However, this is not a military debate, but political – he adds.
The French general explained that “the best security would be to demonstrate the determination of Americans in the event of a violation of a peace agreement”, but military operations could include sending soldiers to Ukraine, air patrols over this country, ensuring the resumption of the maritime movement in the Black Sea and help in building the Ukrainian army.
– To restore the trust of Ukrainians, we must send a signal that European countries, or somehow supported by the United States, are ready to grant a guarantee – says the general. – Giving a guarantee often involves taking risks – he adds.
The danger is that every military contingent can be caught up in the war – especially since the Kremlin repeated many times that he did not want the presence of European soldiers in Ukraine. That is why the principles of commitment, i.e. what the armed forces in Ukraine in the event of Russia's attack, remain a key issue.
– If you intend to comply with a peace agreement, the rules of commitment are self -defense. It's quite logical – says Burkhard.
“Selected” versus “imposed” wars
According to Burkhard, the intensive conflict in Ukraine causes a deep reflection on the way the Western armed forces act. – We went from elected wars – in Iraq, Afghanistan or Mali – to imposed wars – says the French general.
In what he calls “chosen wars”, political leaders and military people maintain control over the amount of ammunition fired, the duration of the mission of soldiers and the number of units placed. Wars imposed are existential conflicts in which there are no such choices. – If Ukrainians do not fight one hundred percent [przeciwko Rosji]they will disappear. This is what the imposed wars are about – explains the military.
Burkhard argues that to face the new reality, the Western armed forces must diversify their arsenals. – The question is: “What kills what and at what cost?” If we develop only a technologically advanced weapon that kills, but it is very expensive, we probably won't be successful – he says, adding that the armed forces also need inexpensive weapons to fight for destruction.
The French general rejects the argument that the French armed forces can survive only a few days in a high intensity conflict, because ammunition reserves are too low [takie same zarzuty i obawy pojawiły się w odniesieniu do Polski]. He emphasized that France would not fight Russia alone, but together with allies with NATO.
“Our ammunition reserves are not as big as they should, because we focused more on selected wars,” Burkhard confirms. – Does this mean that the French armed forces are unable to conduct surgery [wojskowej]? NO. If the need arises, they can do it tonight – he concludes.
