the shocking formula of the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces

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He is the man in charge to lead the armies(New window). Tuesday, November 18, in front of an audience of several hundred mothers, Fabien Mandon decided, in a few shocking words, to prepare them for the looming war: “If our country falters, because it is not ready to accept losing its children, because we have to say things, if we are not ready for that, then we are at risk.”

Be prepared to accept losing your children. In Muret (Haute-Garonne), a town which hosts a garrison of 600 soldiers, these words resonate in a particular way this Thursday, as for a mother whose son is enlisted in the army. “For a mother, it’s scary. It’s very hard, yes. I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“There are a few soldiers in my family, so for me, it wouldn’t shock me more than that. Even myself, why not, go if there’s really a need, but hey…“, reacted a young woman. Already in October, in front of deputies, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces called for people to be ready.”to a military shock in three to four years against Russia”.

Since Wednesday, the oppositions, led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, have been asking heads of state to bring General Mandon into line. “In a democracy and a republic, it is up to Parliament and the president, and no one else, to designate the enemy and call for combat if it must be engaged. declared the leader of La France Insoumise.

Was the speech reread by the Élysée before being delivered? No, assures the entourage of the Head of State to France Télévisions on Thursday evening. Behind the scenes, a government advisor says he understands the emotion aroused: “The isolated sentence is distressing, of course, but we must take the matter as a whole. Awareness is necessary.”

This Thursday, neither the President of the Republic, traveling to Mauritius, nor the Prime Minister, at the Congress of Mayors, wished to comment on the affair. It was the Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans, Catherine Vautrin, who spoke in a solemn speech, without questions from journalists: “It is important that our nation be both lucid and united. And that is why there is no room for controversy.”

According to information from France Télévisions, the President of the Republic must make announcements in the coming weeks on the creation of voluntary military service.