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| Europe |
| French armaments agency faces major reform |
| 2004-01-16 |
| from Jane’s Weekly - 1/9 but I didn’t find it in the archives. Alliot-Marie has been visiting Washington this week and insists all is well between France & the US .... French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie is to shortly unveil plans to radically overhaul the French armaments board Délégation Générale pour l’Armement (DGA) that will include appointing a replacement for current director Yves Gleizes, official sources in Paris confirmed last week. French Ministry of Defence spokesman Jean-François Bureau said Gleizes would stand down as head of the DGA when Alliot-Marie introduces changes at the agency, probably in late January or early February. Earlier media reports said Gleizes, who has held the DGA post since April 2001, would be replaced by an outside figure tasked with implementing the changes. "The minister wants a new hand at the helm for the reforms," Bureau said. It is thought the main thrust of Alliot-Marie’s overhaul will be to give French armed forces chiefs of staff a greater say in picking and executing France’s weapon projects as well as in handing out allocations. Such a move would strip the DGA of much of its existing powers. let’s see if this unwinds some of the cronyism |
| Posted by:rkb |
| #7 The French military aircraft industry has a bad reputation.It is widely believed to force the gov't. to buy aircraft it doesn't want.The British were burned so badly on Brit/French Jaguar project that France was denied participation on both Tornado and Eurofighter projects.With the export fighter market being dominated by the US(hi-tech) and Russia/China(cheap),the future of aviation industry in France depends on multi-national programs.The much hyped Franco-Russian deal to cooperate on developing new weapons,aircraft,etc. hasn't lead to anything concrete.Now France is making a explicitly public move to gain control of the DGA in hopes of restoring trust in France's ability to be a partner in a multi-national military project.If France succeeds,in the next year or so,I expect to hear of a need for a new Eurotrainer(T-38/BAE Hawk type) and a EuroStrikefighter(F-16/F-35 cross-breed). |
| Posted by: Stephen 2004-1-16 5:52:13 PM |
| #6 Michelle (with two Ls) Alliot Marie is a woman. Dominique Galouzeau alias de Villepin is rumored to be a man. Howard Hawks made a wonderful movie on the subject starring Humprey Bogart and Lauren Bacall whose title was "To have and have not" |
| Posted by: JFM 2004-1-16 4:33:22 PM |
| #5 is Michele a man? I'm still not sure about Dominique |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-1-16 3:43:44 PM |
| #4 Btw, regional and european elections soon (march 2004 IIRC, I won't vote) ; the last opinion poll I could get my filthy hands on announced 20% for the national front, 22% for the (combined) trotskysts (since then, nothing). Ugly indeed. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2004-1-16 2:57:47 PM |
| #3 Well, they could try pulling the old trick of selling to Israel.. oh, wait, I forgot. ^_^ The Islamic Republic of France can't DO that anymore. Hehehehe. Ed. |
| Posted by: Ed Becerra 2004-1-16 2:44:57 PM |
| #2 It's rough to take several million euros in lost sales all at once, with no chance of a contract with any new buyers. When Iraq fell, the death knell for several French companies could be clearly heard pealing across the French countryside. Only France's grand megalomania precluded it from being heard. Now France has to respond, and the only way is for heads to roll. Politics in France are going to get uuuuglly this year! |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2004-1-16 2:01:44 PM |
| #1 The French arms industry is in quite a slump I hear. Maybe this will lead to some major divestments or closures. |
| Posted by: buwaya 2004-1-16 1:11:19 PM |