Publié le 31/08/2012
Michel BAUD

A central piece of national security during two centuries and an essential link between the military and the people, the French reserve forces have considerably decreased over the last decades.

Nevertheless, new economic constraints now urge for downsizing the number of troops and could revive the reserves" importance in safeguarding crucial capacities while respecting deeper defense budget cuts. France’s western allies, such as Great Britain or the United States, have already given their reserve forces a key role to support their force projection capability. Drawing lessons from these different experiences, the French armed forces must reform their reserve model and adapt to the new requirements in an age of austerity.

This study is published in French only: Les réserves en première ligne ? Du citoyen-soldat à l'intérim [1]