Overview

• The July 18 letter, disclosed this week by Le Canard Enchaîné, instructs regional health agencies to prepare for a potential large‑scale military engagement in Europe.
• The guidance envisions France serving as a rear base, with plans for centers near ports and airports to triage and transfer military patients to their home nations.
• Scenario planning cites hundreds of thousands of potential wounded overall, with 10,000 to 50,000 patients possibly entering hospitals over 10 to 180 days.
• Training for healthcare workers is requested on wartime resource constraints, post‑traumatic disorders, rehabilitation, and voluntary integration into the Armed Forces Health Service.
• A separate planning benchmark outlines capacity for 100 patients per day for 60 days nationwide, with possible peaks of 250 per day for three days, in coordination with NATO and the EU.