The Chief of Staff of the French Armed Forces, General Fabien Mandon, stated this Wednesday (22) that the country must be prepared for a possible “military clash” with Russia within three to four years. The warning was made during a session of the Defense Committee of the National Assembly, in Paris.
“Russia is a country that may be tempted to continue war on our continent,” Mandon told parliamentarians. “The first objective I gave to the Armed Forces [da França] is to be ready in three or four years for a shock [militar] that would be a kind of test. The test already exists in hybrid forms, but it could become more violent”, added the general, in a statement published by the agency France-Presse and the newspaper Politico.
Mandon explained that French military preparation comes amid a 413 billion euro rearmament effort over the period from 2024 to 2030. According to him, “if our rivals see that we are making this effort, they may give up; if they think we are not prepared to defend ourselves, I don’t see what could stop them.”
The statements are in line with the recent position of European intelligence services and allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which estimate a possible Russian offensive against the European bloc between 2027 and 2030. Last week, the European Commission presented a roadmap to prepare the continent’s countries for a war scenario by the end of the decade.
The French general also highlighted that Moscow maintains the “perception of a collectively weak Europe”, but insisted that this situation should not demotivate the continent.
“Europe is the right scale to face our challenges,” he said.
President Emmanuel Macron, who has been toughening his stance on Russia since last year, had already classified the war in Ukraine as an “existential” threat to the continent. This Tuesday (21), he once again stated that “Russia has so far not shown any sign of wanting to reach a peace agreement with Kiev”.
With France reinforcing the military budget for 2026 – which is expected to reach 2.2% of GDP, according to Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin – and the European Union preparing new sanctions against Moscow, General Mandon’s warning signals a new level of military readiness in Europe.
