France, United Kingdom and United States determined to make NATO rougher

(BRUSSELS2) (In Marseilles) The reform of NATO structures will be one of the major subjects of the Euro-Atlantic summit in Lisbon in November. An irritating subject… The United Kingdom has been asking for burden sharing for years (mainly for Afghanistan). France, by joining NATO's integrated command, has made it one of its hobbyhorses. And the American administration, initially reluctant, joined the Franco-British couple. Between them, they weigh decisively on both the administration and the budget of the military organization. Hervé Morin recalled this on Tuesday at the summer universities at La Défense in Marseille.

Objective: 7500 staff

« We must put an end to the budgetary rush. When it comes to the financial bump, NATO is at the top. Our will is inflexible: we must lighten the command structures, rationalize the multiple NATO agencies. " In a word : " reduce NATO's headquarters and territorial footprints, which are too numerous ". The Minister has set a goal: A concentrated structure, picked up territorially, of 7500 people is enough ". A figure to compare to the current workforce “ 13.000 budgeted, around 11.000 actual ». Autant dire que cette exigence ne réjouit pas grand monde, notamment parmi nos alliés qui comptent de nombreux nationaux dans les structures de l’OTAN ou bénéficient d’implantations. L’Italie ou l’Allemagne, par exemple. Pour le ministre, la position de certains deses homologues est puérile : « Defense ministers behave like locally elected officials. They are for reform and savings. But when we remove a structure in their country, they are against. » Ca va être chaud à Lisbonne…

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)