France will likely shrink its operational footprint in Africa and increase its presence in the Pacific, Gen. Stéphane Mille, the chief of staff of the French air and space force, said in conversation with reporters.
The country will “reduce the forces in Africa, probably in the future,” Mille said. An August coup in Niger resulted in the end of Niger’s military pact with France, the evacuation of French citizens from the country and the French ambassador being places under house arrest, which the French government has likened to a hostage situation.
But that doesn’t mean France will end its support of counter-terrorism missions in the Sahel. Rather, France will work with different governments to better understand what their specific needs are and possibly fly in forces when necessary for different contingencies and events, “for a certain period of time, for training, for things like that,” Mille said. “It’s a good use of air force capability, especially transport aircraft.”
Mille described recent protests against the French government in Niger as “surprising,” “well organized” and “not spontaneous.” Analysts have found metadata showing Russian military figures journeyed to Niger near the time of the coup.
Said Mille: “There are some links, of course, and so we have to pay attention about all competitors that could be behind the situation in Africa…This is what we have seen in Mali.” But the fact of Russian involvement needs further analysis, he said.
Large transport aircraft also will play a key role in France’s developing Pacific strategy, Mille said, pointing to French air bases in French Polynesia and New Caledonia.
“We are a nation from the Pacific, so it’s normal for us to be present in the Pacific,” he said.
“We are covering more and more of the area” in the Pacific, Mille said. “We will be more present in the future.” he added.
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