It seems that in France we feel that we must prepare for war:
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ARMED FORCES STAFF
Order of the day n° 13
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By General Thierry Burkhard
Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces
Officers, non-commissioned officers, naval officers, soldiers, sailors and airmen, active and reserve, and civilian personnel of the armed forces,
Almost two months have passed since the Russian attack on Ukraine began on 24 February. After being forced to withdraw from the Kiev region, the Russian army is now concentrating its efforts in the Donbass. The stated political goals of this "special military operation" have been scaled back, and the resistance of the Ukrainian armed forces continues.
Few of us had bet on this fierce resistance. The Ukrainians have defeated a "hit and run" operation, which was intended to bring about regime change in Kiev. As the fighting continues, these first weeks of confrontation have already yielded many lessons. I would like to address some of them this morning, as they seem to me to be important in the exercise of the military profession.
The first of these, while obvious, is no less essential: high-intensity warfare is back in Europe.
77 years after the end of the Second World War, two armies are confronting each other with all the power of their capabilities: planes, tanks, ships, missiles, artillery, cyber... You who serve France have already been confronted, sometimes very closely, with the violence of war and combat. The novelty of the situation lies in its geographical proximity: Russian missiles regularly strike western Ukraine, less than 1500 km from Paris. War is here, closer than we have ever known it.
For us, the French military, this means that we have to be prepared. The probability of a major engagement has increased considerably and we must take this into account. Our preparation and the resulting credibility must allow us to win the war before the war and, if the circumstances require it, to be ready to engage in a high-intensity confrontation.
The second lesson is not so much a rediscovery as a confirmation of the crucial role of moral forces.
It is first of all moral forces that explain the remarkable Ukrainian resistance. I am not thinking only of the combatants, whose courage and willpower are no longer in question. I am also thinking of the population, Ukrainian society as a whole and its leaders. United in support of those who fight in their name, they show admirable resilience and cohesion.
Moral forces must be our constant concern. Because they do not emerge from nothing at the moment of battle, they must be forged and nurtured continuously. If we fail to anticipate this obligation, we will be doomed to defeat.
The third lesson concerns the importance of notions that we know well, having been confronted with them in the exercise of command: frankness, loyalty and, on the contrary, lying.
Russian military leaders lied.
First of all, they lied to their political leaders by letting them believe that the operational efficiency of the Russian army would enable it to win a quick victory in Ukraine. The fact is that the change of scale from the expeditionary model in Syria to the massive operations in Ukraine has so far been a failure.
Then there is the question of their subordinates, on the goals of the operation, on the situation in Ukraine and, even worse, on their ability to give them the means to carry out their missions. However, and this was blatantly obvious, the organisation and command were largely lacking. In particular, the Russian units lacked effective logistics and support, at least at the beginning of the campaign. These weaknesses, combined with tactical and operational errors, proved to be crippling. They sounded the death knell for the initial Russian ambitions.
Last but not least, the Russian military leaders also lied to themselves.
The duty of a military man, whether he is a leader or a subordinate - for one is always both - is to tell the truth; to say things, without trying to embellish the situation out of fear, flattery or intellectual laziness.
Facing the leaders, it consists in presenting, in all frankness, the limits and weaknesses that we may have. It implies, naturally, proposing solutions.
Towards our subordinates, it requires us to give meaning to the mission as well as to the sacrifices requested and agreed upon.
This duty of truth also refers us to our own qualities: only the greatest frankness makes it possible to prepare for difficult times, when it is necessary to wage battle. I invite you to make your own this sentence from Marc Bloch's testament: "I consider complacency towards lies, under whatever pretext it may be adorned, to be the worst leprosy of the soul.
You already know all this. But we also know how easy and tempting it can be to let ourselves go. The demand must be permanent! Our mission does not give us the right to be weak, and I know of no better way to progress than to seek, everywhere, all the time, to raise the level of demand.
I know I can count on you. You demonstrate all your qualities on a daily basis, in staff and in operational units. The national orders and decorations that were awarded this morning reward the commitment of remarkable officers and non-commissioned officers, entirely devoted to the service of France. I congratulate you once again.
What the war in Ukraine teaches us is that we have changed times, scale and stakes. Everyone must do what is necessary to prepare for it. When the time comes, we will not have the right not to be there.
Paris, 22 April 2022
