France's Military Warns of Decline: Is Paris Losing Its Strategic Special Position in Europe?

For decades, France has seen itself as Europe's military leading power. The country possesses nuclear weapons, a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, an independent arms industry, and forces with global operational experience. Few other European states combine military reach, political ambition, and strategic autonomy in a comparable manner. But now a warning signal is coming precisely from within its own ranks. General Fabien Mandon, France's highest-ranking military…