"Today, as in the past, we stand at the begining of the 21st century, it is
together that we must fight to defend and promote the values and ideals of
freedom and democracy"
destroyers and frigates including four AAW (anti-surface and anti-sub) and
eight ASW ships, overseas forces consisting of six surveillance frigates,
eleven patrol boats and five light transport ships (BATRAL), a mine warfare
force consisting of fifteen ships and a command ship, a maritime patrol
aircraft wing consisting of twenty-two Atlantique aircraft and ten maritime
surveillance aircraft, about fifty ship-borne helicopters - This represents
a total of 80 warships, 130 naval aircraft and five commandos (Marine
Amphibious) units."
France's Navy has been teaching the Russians a thing or two about maritime ops and recently picked up NATO command and control stats for the first time ever - all in 3 weeks.
"On January 1st 2008, following Great Britain, for the first time France took
the command of the NATO Response Force, for 6 months, under the orders of the
Rear Admiral Hinden. Being deployable under very short delays, wherever
actuality demands it"
For the pièce de résistance, France is hooking up with Great Satan in the Persian Gulf. Until now, Only Great Satan had bases in places like the strategically saddled United Arab Emirates.
Trying to downplay Great Satan's recent Persian Chess Tour and her avec de guerre with a France Military base in their own back 40, Ebtisam Al-Kitbi, associate professor of political science at UAE University points out that unfree regimes that may or may not be fiddling about WMD or may or may not be destabilizing neighboring turf and that publicly threatens neighbors or may or may not deploy stealth subs to sabotage the internet in the ME isn't really a problem.
She lays the blame squarely on America Unbound in the new millenium
"The U.S. has been causing a great deal of concern among Arab Gulf countries
because of conflicting and dangerous statements and policies made by
Washington that have led to the current situation in Iraq and to a mounting
tension with Iran. Moreover, the U.S. image in the region has deteriorated
as a result of the global war on terrorism and the failed Palestinian-Israeli peace process.The U.S. must notice this change, and subsequently improve its foreign policy and reconsider its actions in order not to miss the major strategic shift that seems to be happening. French military presence would help restrain the Bush
administration from making irrational, unilateral moves that could lead to war."
Au contraire mademoiselle! Dr.Theodore Karasik, Middle East security analyst at RAND Corp. in L.A. says even trying to drive a zero sum wedge betwixt two freedom loving allies is totally retarded
"The United States should welcome this move because its current relations with
Paris have never been stronger. In case of a confrontation with Iran, the French
military presence would be a complementary package to the U.S. forces there."
French Defense Minister Herve Morin hooked up with Def Sec Gates at the Pentagon today and spelled out the bloodtests of history confirmed
"The bloodlines uniting the United States and France are much more powerful than
discrepancies we might have experienced"
Riad Kahwaji, a part timer at Agence Presse France, cites undisclosed 'officials' that admit Great Satan and France have been buddying up for a while military wise.
"French forces in UAE have been giving support to NATO operations in Afghanistan
since 2002. The only thing new is that it has been made official and public."
Darling Nikki agrees and points out that wielding a future Navy on Freedom's behalf and being magically drawn to wherever the banner of Liberty is unfurled is a really cool signal and is totally legit, after all she's just like Great Satan.
France is totally jazzed about flexing muscle in unfree, scary parts of the world where baby democracies could be strangled to death in their cribs. President Sarkozy starts off nearly every analysis
"... with the assumption that the US is not involved, either as a problem or as a solution.
Imagine, there is no US. Are the European nations threatened by radical Islamism or not?
Imagine there is no US, does the European Union depend on oil and gas imports from the Greater Middle East?
Imagine there is no US, is the acquisition of nuclear weapons by the Khomeinist regime in Tehran good or bad for France and the European Union?
Imagine there is no US, isn't Europe safer if Afghanistan and Iraq are transformed into friendly democracies rather than a safe haven for terrorists?
France responds to its friends. This is a sign to all that France is
participating in the stability of this region of the world."