10,000 Soldiers for Ukraine: France Discusses Deployment of Two Brigades under European Security Assurances
French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the deployment of about 10,000 soldiers to Ukraine within the framework of European security guarantees.
This is reported by Les Echos.
During a private meeting, he discussed with his fellow party members the deployment of two brigades as part of a multinational force that should form the basis of the European Union’s ‘deterrence force’ after the war.
The location of the command should be the city of Mont Valéry near Paris. The discussion also included a demonstration of the weapons these brigades will be equipped with.
At the end of the closed-door discussion, both Emmanuel Macron and Minister of Armed Forces of France Sébastien Lecorne agreed on “the need to involve parliament in the discussions,” he said, adding that the debate, with or without a vote, would take place “within fifteen days to three weeks.”
At the same time, Matilde Panot, leader of the LFI (‘Unconquered France’) party, said that the deployment of two brigades would include just under 10,000 soldiers within the British-French contingent, half of whom could be from the French army.
However, it is not yet known whether the discussions considered the involvement of troops from other countries, as the announced number is less than the forces deployed on Europe’s eastern border – in the Baltic States, Romania, and Poland.
Earlier, Militarnyi reported that Ukraine, France and the United Kingdom signed a declaration of intent on the future deployment of multinational forces in Ukraine.
Composition of a typical European brigade
Since the announced number of troops for one brigade is about 5,000, it looks like a reinforced version of a British Army brigade, which can normally have from 3,000 troops in peacetime to 5,000 in case of reinforcement before deployment.
At the same time, the brigades of the French Army are somewhat larger and even today usually have 6,000 or more soldiers. For example, the 2nd Armored Brigade of the French Army has about 6,800 soldiers, while the 6th Light Armored Brigade has about 7,500 soldiers.
As for the weapons, depending on the type of brigade, the formation can be based on either building a formation around an armored brigade, which is unlikely, or building a formation around a mechanized or even light brigade, which seems more likely.
This is primarily due to the fact that the tank fleets of France and the United Kingdom are limited and, according to available data, amount to about 222 and 227 tanks, respectively.
At the same time, the formation of a unit based on mechanized infantry is a more realistic option. However, the final decisions on the structure and armament of the brigades are likely to be made later, during joint discussions with the UK.
Functions of the Coalition
As part of its support for Ukraine, the Coalition of the Resolute plans to send logistics, weapons, and military training specialists to help rebuild and reform the Ukrainian Army.
In addition, coalition air forces in cooperation with the Ukrainian Air Force will ensure the protection of airspace.
The patrolling of the skies by aircraft of the coalition member states should increase the level of security for the civilian population and create conditions for the resumption of full international air traffic.
A special emphasis is placed on strengthening the Black Sea task force, which includes Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria.
The unit is to be staffed with specialized personnel, which will speed up the demining of the Black Sea and ensure safe and uninterrupted maritime access to and from Ukrainian ports.
