French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his advisers are in the final phase of preparing France's return to NATO's military structures, after Paris obtained US-backing for two senior command positions. US national security adviser James Jones has agreed in principle with Jean-David Levitte, a diplomatic adviser to President Sarkozy, that French officers could take over the reins of the Allied Command Transformation unit based in Norfolk, Virginia (US), according to a report in French daily Le Monde's Thursday edition (5 February), France has been out of NATO's military structures for more than 40 years The Norfolk unit is in charge of overseeing transformations within the alliance such as its doctrine, organisation and the use of forces. The second senior post given to the French would be a regional NATO command based in Lisbon - the headquarters of the Rapid Reaction Force and of a centre for satellite-photo analysis.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his advisers are in the final phase of preparing France's return to NATO's military structures, after Paris obtained US-backing for two senior command positions.
US national security adviser James Jones has agreed in principle with Jean-David Levitte, a diplomatic adviser to President Sarkozy, that French officers could take over the reins of the Allied Command Transformation unit based in Norfolk, Virginia (US), according to a report in French daily Le Monde's Thursday edition (5 February),
France has been out of NATO's military structures for more than 40 years
The Norfolk unit is in charge of overseeing transformations within the alliance such as its doctrine, organisation and the use of forces.
The second senior post given to the French would be a regional NATO command based in Lisbon - the headquarters of the Rapid Reaction Force and of a centre for satellite-photo analysis.
PARIS: France is in talks on taking control of two NATO command posts, including a prestigious one in the United States that has never been led by a foreign commander, defense officials said Thursday. Such a move could also be accompanied by the injection of hundreds more French troops into NATO, a European defense official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because no deal had been finalized. President Nicolas Sarkozy has been looking to tighten France's links with NATO, particularly ahead of the defense alliance's April summit meeting in Strasbourg and Kehl, Germany, that will celebrate its 60th anniversary. The European official and a French military official said France was in talks to put a French general in charge of two command posts: one in Norfolk, Virginia, responsible for laying out the long-term vision of the Atlantic alliance, and the other an operational command based in Lisbon.
PARIS: France is in talks on taking control of two NATO command posts, including a prestigious one in the United States that has never been led by a foreign commander, defense officials said Thursday.
Such a move could also be accompanied by the injection of hundreds more French troops into NATO, a European defense official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because no deal had been finalized.
President Nicolas Sarkozy has been looking to tighten France's links with NATO, particularly ahead of the defense alliance's April summit meeting in Strasbourg and Kehl, Germany, that will celebrate its 60th anniversary.
The European official and a French military official said France was in talks to put a French general in charge of two command posts: one in Norfolk, Virginia, responsible for laying out the long-term vision of the Atlantic alliance, and the other an operational command based in Lisbon.
