The Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, leaving the Elysée, March 6, 2024 in Paris (AFP/Archives/STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN)
The French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, announced Tuesday that he “does not rule out” resorting to requisitions or requiring manufacturers to give priority to military needs over civilian needs, to accelerate production .
“For the first time, I do not exclude using what the law allows the minister and the general delegate for armaments (DGA) to do, that is to say if the account was not there in terms of production rates and deadlines, to make requisitions if necessary or to exercise the right of prioritization”, affirmed the minister during an unprecedented press conference in the presence of all the chiefs of staff .
Paris is ordering the French defense industry to produce more and more quickly to meet the needs of its army and ensure long-term support for Ukraine.
Requisitions, permitted by the Military Programming Law adopted in the fall, can range from “personnel, stocks or production tools” to dedicate them to the production of military equipment, he recalled, estimating that it was “the hardest tool in our legal arsenal.”
“It is not the priority tool as I speak to you, but I am telling you that it exists because it also creates readability for everyone, there will be no surprises,” he said. -He specifies.
Sébastien Lecornu plans, on the other hand, “in the coming weeks” to impose minimum stock levels on certain manufacturers, in order to produce more quickly, or to give priority to military orders over civilian needs.
“If sometimes production rates are too slow, it is because there is a temptation to operate just in time and not have enough stocks of raw materials or components”, in order to avoid immobilize cash to build up these stocks, he explained.
In his sights in particular, the delivery times of the long-range Aster anti-aircraft missile produced between France and Italy by MBDA, which are too long in the eyes of the minister.
“The question of prioritizing the military order among MBDA subcontractors for the Aster missile, in priority over a civilian order, is something which is obviously completely understandable,” he said.
Paris placed an order for 200 Aster missiles in January 2023 for 900 million euros, with delivery scheduled for 2026.
However, these missiles, which previously “were not used or only for training purposes” according to him, are supplied to Ukraine to defend its skies and have been fired 22 times against Houthi drones and missiles since the month of December by the two French frigates deployed in the Red Sea.
“Now, we have concrete operational contracts on which we have a request,” he insisted, announcing an “advance order” of 200 additional Aster missiles.
© 2024 AFP
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