The Sentinel operation, useful but to be resized (Bosser)
(B2) During a hearing at the National Assembly on July 19, General Jean-Pierre Bosser, the head of the army, expressed his doubts about Operation Sentinel, which consumes a number of resources human. Without questioning its usefulness (an official taboo), he nevertheless pleaded for a more sustainable resizing of the operation. An interesting analysis when six soldiers were injured during an attack by a vehicle in the streets of Levallois, this Wednesday (August 9).
Sentinel, consumer of human resources...
The presence of the army “has been given the task of strengthening the means of the State in the event of a crisis, as is the case with the contribution of the armed forces to the Vigipirate plan since 1995 [...]. The big difference of Sentinel is that this operation deploys huge masses – up to 10.000 men – on the national territory. Today, there are 7 – and 000 in reserve. » An operation that does not arouse wild enthusiasm among young recruits. " Our young people are committed to action and to seeing the country. When they are told that their first mission will be "Sentinel" at the Gare du Nord, this does not make them dream. I'm not going to tell stories: they first signed up to go to Mali or to other theaters of external operations. »
The place of the armies on the national territory
Operation Sentinel (re)raises the question about " the role and place of the armed forces on the national territory. This has been the subject of many debates, which relate to the merits, or not, of deploying armed forces. Is this really their role, compared to the internal security forces? If so, what for? And above all, how to do it? »
An evolution of Sentinel
Since its establishment in 2015, we went from a static device where our soldiers were really employed as sentries, to much more dynamic devices ". A necessity because according to several sources within the armies consulted by B2, the original device was impossible to maintain. It was almost to eliminate either rest periods, or training, or both. But we still need to evolve. General Bosser hopes [thus] that in the context of the renovation or the continuation of the state of emergency, we will still be led to change the role and place of the armed forces”.
Resize the mission
For the general, you have to be realistic. But it is necessary to lighten the device to have more reserve and anticipation. So no more question of having 7000 men mobilized like today. But just 3000.” We will not escape, I think, the presence of some 3 men spread over key points in Paris such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre... Then, 000 men are needed in reserve to build up power in the event of hard blow, anywhere in France. Finally, I would like a third fraction of 3 men, still deployed today, to be devoted to anticipation. I mean that we are working on crisis scenarios – as defined by the General Secretariat for Defense and National Security (SGDSN) – such as mass hostage-taking, industrial risks, bacteriological risks. This is not anxiety-provoking for the French who are able to understand that by preparing for it, we are preparing to ensure their safety. »
NB: A formula that could have the approval of the Head of State. During his visit to the Istres air base on July 20, Emmanuel Macron announced that he had asked " an in-depth reflection [...] for the autumn which will make it possible to revise the modalities of Operation Sentinel ". Reflection that will have to present to him the new chief of staff of the armies, general Lecointre.
(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)
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