The multilingual contents of the site are the result of an automatic translation.
Letter TO THE CONTACT N°36
Situation report: the army's operational commitment
Dear friends in the Army,
A century ago, our elders were relieved to turn the page on the fateful year 16 and usher in a new era of hope. However, 1917 did not, in the end, fully meet the peaceful aspirations of the peoples of Europe. Nevertheless, it undeniably played a pivotal role in the history of the First World War by setting the conditions for the victory of 1918.
As we close, after 2015, a second year under strong terrorist threat on our soil, as violence seems to be less and less contained in the world, as many countries are rearming in the four corners of the globe, we enter 2017 with the same desire for peace, a desire darkened, if not by fears, at least by concerns.
The year will be a year of high political stakes, particularly because major European elections - in France and Germany - will be held in addition to the election of President Trump in the United States. In 2017, our elected leaders will then share the heavy responsibility of preserving and consolidating peace in a world in turmoil. While there is now a consensus on the need for a war effort, both on our own soil and across the Rhine and the Atlantic, the concrete translation of these intentions will have to be examined with vigilance.
For their part, the men and women of the Army will always be present, as they have been in the past, because beyond the constraints inherent in overactivity and ageing equipment, they are aware of their mission, the usefulness of which they know.
In order to ensure that the Army remains on a constant course, despite the sometimes adverse winds, I have decided to focus our action for 2017 on four main lines of action, which are all cardinal virtues:
- the pride of the military state, that of serving the country, both internally and externally;
- availability, which must remain total in the face of an omnipresent threat; -
fraternity with our brothers in arms, particularly in joint, interallied and interdepartmentalforces
;
- truth, because we must make a lucid assessment of our strengths, weaknesses and needs, an assessment which we must share in all frankness with our political leaders.
I know that I can count on your commitment to support the Army again this year. I thank you for this and would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best for 2017 as well.
A century ago, our elders were relieved to turn the page on the fateful year 16 and usher in a new era of hope. However, 1917 did not, in the end, fully meet the peaceful aspirations of the peoples of Europe. Nevertheless, it undeniably played a pivotal role in the history of the First World War by setting the conditions for the victory of 1918.
As we close, after 2015, a second year under strong terrorist threat on our soil, as violence seems to be less and less contained in the world, as many countries are rearming in the four corners of the globe, we enter 2017 with the same desire for peace, a desire darkened, if not by fears, at least by concerns.
The year will be a year of high political stakes, particularly because major European elections - in France and Germany - will be held in addition to the election of President Trump in the United States. In 2017, our elected leaders will then share the heavy responsibility of preserving and consolidating peace in a world in turmoil. While there is now a consensus on the need for a war effort, both on our own soil and across the Rhine and the Atlantic, the concrete translation of these intentions will have to be examined with vigilance.
For their part, the men and women of the Army will always be present, as they have been in the past, because beyond the constraints inherent in overactivity and ageing equipment, they are aware of their mission, the usefulness of which they know.
In order to ensure that the Army remains on a constant course, despite the sometimes adverse winds, I have decided to focus our action for 2017 on four main lines of action, which are all cardinal virtues:
- the pride of the military state, that of serving the country, both internally and externally;
- availability, which must remain total in the face of an omnipresent threat; -
fraternity with our brothers in arms, particularly in joint, interallied and interdepartmentalforces
;
- truth, because we must make a lucid assessment of our strengths, weaknesses and needs, an assessment which we must share in all frankness with our political leaders.
I know that I can count on your commitment to support the Army again this year. I thank you for this and would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best for 2017 as well.