VZCZCXYZ0002
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHFR #4131 2751602
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 021602Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0595
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES

UNCLAS PARIS 004131 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EB and EUR/WE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EFIN ECON ELAB PGOV FR
SUBJECT: FRANCE'S NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH NATO 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY.  French Defense Minister Herve Morin used the 
September 10 - 11 "Summer Defense University" (an annual conference 
organized by the two houses of French parliament) to lay the 
foundation for a transformation of France's armed forces including a 
new relationship with NATO. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (U)  The National Assembly and Senate's Defense Committees held 
their fifth annual Summer Defense University September 10 -11 in 
Toulouse.  The event focused on space and drew French Defense 
Minister, Herve Morin, the presidents of parliamentary defense 
commissions from eighteen European countries, military leaders from 
throughout Europe, French industrial leaders, and one American 
representative, Leo Michel from the National Defense University. 
Over the 2 day event, discussions covered geo-political scenarios 
for the year 2030, space, dissuasion, prevention, protection and 
projection.  Participants noted the lack of deployable European 
troops and stressed France's need to develop its own defense 
programs. 
 
¶3.  (U)  Three high-ranking government leaders, the Vice President 
of the Senate Commission, the National Assembly Commission President 
and DefMin Morin all called for a new relationship between NATO and 
the European Defense and Security Policy (EDSP) during their 
comments to the conference.  Most participants agreed that France 
should find a balance between NATO and EDSP and should be more 
active in NATO.  Leo Michel encouraged France to increase its 
participation in NATO's allied command during his comments and 
pointed out that NATO does not subsume national forces.  Minister 
Morin devoted a portion of his speech to the consolidation of 
alliances, pointing out that France needed to change its attitude on 
NATO.  He ended his remarks with his "profound conviction" that an 
EDSP is not possible unless France clarifies its position in NATO. 
Morin also stressed the need for joint forces in the military, 
specifically citing human resource and information technology 
systems redundancies that needed streamlining. 
 
¶5. (U)  Comment:  The GOF viewed this event as a chance to advance 
discussions of alliances with military organizations.  Military 
modernization plans for the future will be launched in a defense 
"White Paper" now under preparation (with a March 2008 deadline). 
Local military officials stressed Morin's statement that the White 
Paper process would include sensitive, and previously off limits, 
issues.  End Comment. 
Stapleton