26 June 2008 - 16H30
Hervé Morin, French minister of defence
Hervé Morin, France's defence minister, explains France's military ambitions and talks about his past as a former member of François Bayrou's party as well as his current job as a member of President Nicolas Sarkozy's government.
In an interview by Roselyne Febvre on FRANCE 24, the French defence minister, Hervé Morin, responded to criticisms of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s new white paper on defence. Notable among those sceptical of the policy laid out is a part of the military establishment itself.
The new strategy, said Morin, allows the military “to make up for equipment that is threadbare from overuse".
Referring to Afghanistan, Morin asserted that, “contrary to what some say, the work we are doing ― notably that by our OMLT, the French sections charged with training the Afghan national army ― is working.”
OMLT is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s abbreviation for Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams of troops from NATO member countries.
Morin added: “We are progressively retaking the valleys. The Afghan national army is being trained and is more and more able to carry out missions by itself.”
Download the "Nouveau Livre Blanc de la Défense" (in French).
To see the entire interview with Hervé Morin, click on “Play video.”
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