The head of the French armed forces, General Pierre de Villiers, has quit his post after publicly clashing with Emmanuel Macronover proposed budget cuts.
In a statement from his office, Mr de Villiers said he had sought to maintain a French defence force able to do an increasingly difficult job within the financial constraints imposed on it.
“In the current circumstances I see myself as no longer able to guarantee the robust defence force I believe is necessary to guarantee the protection of France and the French people, today and tomorrow, and to sustain the aims of our country,” he said…
It is part of the French President’s programme aiming to achieve €60bn (53bn) of savings over five years – while upholding an election pledge to cut taxes. Last week, his government announced plans to cut the defence budget for 2017 to bring France’s deficit below the EU limit of 3 per cent GDP. Läs artikel