The Chief of Staff of the French Armed Forces, Fabien Mandon, criticized this Tuesday (24) what he called the “increasingly unpredictable” behavior of the United States and said that Washington’s attitudes have an impact on the French government’s defense policy.
According to information from Reuters, Mandon made the comments at a security and defense forum in Paris.
“We were surprised by an American ally, which remains an ally, but which is becoming increasingly unpredictable and does not even bother to inform us when it decides to launch military operations,” said the commander, in reference to the US and Israeli war against Iran, which began on February 28. “This has an impact on our security and our interests.”
Mandon also made reference to the war in Afghanistan, a country from which the Americans disastrously withdrew in 2021 (under the Joe Biden administration) after 20 years of a conflict that began in response to the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001.
At the time, Washington invoked the NATO article that provides that aggression against any country in the alliance is also an attack against other members, which led several allies to help the US in the conflict in Afghanistan.
“We intervened in Afghanistan at the request of the Americans, who invoked Article 5 of NATO, and they chose to withdraw without informing us,” Mandon said on Tuesday.
“Now, they have decided to intervene in the Middle East without informing us. However, the immediate concern of the French Armed Forces has been to find solutions for France to protect citizens who were transiting in the region,” added the commander.
It was not the first time that a representative of the French government expressed concern about the USA: in February, President Emmanuel Macron said that the Donald Trump government has an “anti-European” stance and wants the “dismemberment” of the European Union.
Last week, the American president accused NATO allies of being “cowards” for not helping to open the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage closed almost entirely by Iran in recent weeks, and had previously clashed with partners over his idea of annexing Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, a member of the Western military alliance.
