French army chief releases first agenda, shares ambitions for service
French Army Chief of Staff Army Chief of Staff Gen. Jacques de Montgros said he wants “an Army that is feared, proud, and bold.”
MILAN — France’s Army Chief of Staff Gen. Jacques de Montgros has issued his first agenda for the army since taking up the position on July 26, outlining the service’s top priorities.
Dated Aug. 24, but publicly shared in a post on X on Monday, the statement shares Montgros’ three main themes for the French army : integrating artificial intelligence, adapting to the new strategic environment, and navigating future recruiting challenges the service will have to tackle. Of those themes, the most pressing matter was the need to quickly integrate artificial intelligence and autonomous systems into the service’s operations, he said.
“The Army must scale up the integration of these developments without abandoning its other capabilities or other factors that provide superiority, namely the commander’s judgement and collective strength,” he said in the statement.
The second challenge is for the Army to adapt to shifts in the strategic landscape, which Montgros referred to as “Europe’s strategic awakening,” — the same theme as the July 14 Bastille Day military parade in Paris.
He added that the force must be able to seamlessly blend surprise, maneuver, and attrition to secure decisive action “at the time of our choosing.”
Additional funding could help the French army achieve this by allowing it to more effectively adapt to future threats and transition from low-intensity counter-insurgency missions to greater European strategic autonomy. On Aug. 18 , Paris formally adopted its revised military programming law that adds €36 billion ($42 billion) to its defense spending over the 2026-30 period.
Montgros highlighted another long-term hurdle facing the army: a “demographic challenge.”
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“We must anticipate it — the Army’s ability to accomplish its missions in the future will depend on its capacity to recruit, retain, and remain deeply rooted in the Nation, giving a full place to active-duty soldiers, reservists, and national service volunteers,” he said.
France’s new voluntary national military service program officially launches this month and is expected to initially welcome 3,000 participants aged 18 to 25. The service lasts ten months and includes five weeks of basic military training before participants join a unit in the navy, air force, or army.
As of 2025, the French Armed Forces consisted of roughly 200,000 military personnel and 64,000 civilian personnel, and annual recruitment was 27,000.
Regarding his vision of the force, Montgros said he wants “an Army that is feared, proud, and bold.”
Reported by Breaking Defense · presented in full by the Europes Room.
