Overview
- At the mayors’ congress this week, armed forces chief Gen. Fabien Mandon urged the country to be ready to “accept losing its children” and warned of a potential shock with Russia within three to four years.
- Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin defended Mandon as fully legitimate to assess threats and said his words were taken out of context.
- Military spokesperson Col. Guillaume Vernet clarified that “children” referred to soldiers and said high‑intensity conflict could mean hundreds to around 1,000 military deaths per day.
- Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said “our children will not go fight and die in Ukraine” and emphasized that France has a professional army.
- Opposition figures from LFI to RN criticized the rhetoric and the role of a serving general, as the executive continues preparedness messaging, including a voluntary military service proposal and a national risk‑readiness guide; Franceinfo reported the Élysée did not pre‑approve Mandon’s speech.