- Title: Macron announces army budget will be spared cuts in 2018
- Date: 20th July 2017
- Summary: PARLY, MACRON AND LECOINTRE STANDING DURING FRENCH NATIONAL ANTHEM MACRON, PARLY AND LECOINTRE INSPECTING TROOPS
- Embargoed: 3rd August 2017 17:38
- Keywords: Emmanuel Macron addresses army soldiers defence budget Istres budget cuts Pierre de Villiers military air base Florence Parly General Francois Lecointre
- Location: ISTRES, FRANCE
- City: ISTRES, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Defence,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0026QIUUKN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The French military will be spared budget cuts next year, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday (July 20), a day after the country's armed forces chief resigned in a dispute over defence budget cuts.
During a visit to an air base in the south-west of the country, Macron said the Ministry of Armed Forces would be the only one to get a budget increase in 2018, as he sought to reassure soldiers unsettled by the resignation of their chief, Pierre de Villiers.
Villiers has been replaced by General Francois Lecointre.
Macron reaffirmed his commitment to set the defence budget at 2 percent of GDP by 2025, up from around 1.6 percent currently.
As well as being an early test for Macron, the departure of France's most senior soldier highlights the stresses of a major military power as it battles Islamist insurgencies in Africa, partners allies in Middle East conflicts, and patrols its own streets after a series of home-grown jihadist attacks. - Copyright Holder: POOL (CAN SELL)
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