We live in a world of opportunity and high instability, where crises are increasingly sudden and brutal. The use of force is once again becoming the preferred means of settling disputes between States, echoing the weakening of the multilateral system. Geopolitical and climatic disturbances are responding to each other. Military competition complements and exacerbates economic competition by widening the scope of conflict.

Modes of use of force are diversifying and allow many actors to achieve political gains through means other than conventional armed confrontation. At the lower end of the spectrum, actions of force "below the threshold of violence" combine with the manipulation of perceptions and the strategy of ambiguity.

At the high end of the spectrum, access to high-tech military capabilities by many states with bellicose strategies and by irregular groups can now challenge the superiority of Western armies.

In order to gain and then maintain the upper hand in hardened operations, and regardless of who our adversaries are, we must first have a broad spectrum of capabilities and a critical mass to effectively counter the full range of threats. The first deliveries of 24-ton Griffons foreshadow the era of "infovalorized" combat, but it is also the nano-UAVs weighing just a few grams that allow the fighter to see beyond the "infovalorized" combat. It is our ability to enter a theatre first, but also our ability to manoeuvre in cyber and information space.

Our Army today is based on a clear, readable and stabilized organizational model. But the ecosystem in which it evolves is shifting, even fragile. In the spirit of the 19-25 programming law, which reflects a strong political will, we must continue our efforts to repair and modernize our capabilities. We therefore have a duty to excel in operations but also to set an example in the management of our resources, because they are the fruit of the major financial and human efforts made by the Nation.

To win, we must then act with others, in all fields of military action, more numerous today than yesterday. We must be part of the joint integration effort of the ECS and strengthen our interoperability with our main allies and partner countries, considering that Europe remains our community of destiny. We must act with others but also for others by being actors of national cohesion, by turning to our youth and more broadly to civil society, through our reserve.

In order to win, Man must finally remain our priority. We must train, equip and train them so that they can use high-tech equipment while being able to fight in extremely degraded conditions. To those who serve their country on a daily basis, we owe equipment, infrastructure, support and leaders who are equal to their commitment. But to our country, we owe soldiers who are equal to the mission it entrusts to us and equal to the threats we face.

Observing our environment with lucidity and clear-sightedness should not lead to pessimism, but should push us to innovate, always with pragmatism, so that the land-based military response is appropriate, effective and decisive. This is how we will be in line with the ambition of the President of the Republic that our army should be a reference in Europe.

General Thierry Burkhard