France fills the US Arms void into Middle East

Source : http://www.atlanticcouncil.org

Through a series of recent sales worth billions, most recently a $12 billion deal with Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday, the Rafale has become the backbone of Paris's realpolitik economic diplomacy aimed at sustaining its global stature and capitalizing on recent rifts in the United States' relations with its partners.

Gulf states are signing defense contracts with Paris to express their discontent with American policies in the wake of the Iran nuclear negotiations. The fact that the Iran talks have excluded Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) partners while ignoring Tehran's regional meddling has led Gulf partners to question the American commitment to their security, especially after the administration's backtracking on a Syrian chemical weapons red line. Spotting an opportunity, France has stepped in to fill the void.

France adopted a hard line from the beginning of the Iran nuclear talks to both distinguish itself from the United States and to cultivate closer ties with the Saudis and other nervous Gulf states. It continues to push for a UN Security Council resolution enforcing a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, forcing the Obama administration to seek a postponement of any vote on the issue.

Presenting an alternative to the United States on such key regional issues has helped Paris put the Rafale on the map andsecure billions in regional defense contracts over the past year, raising French arms exports to the highest level in 15 years.

In Egypt, France capitalized on thecontentious U.S. arms suspension that began in late 2013 to secure a Rafale deal in February, which came on the heels of the Egyptian navy's purchase of four French corvettes last summer. Even though the United States ended the suspension earlier this year, France's military deals are not tied to mutual security objectives and have no conditions requiring Cairo to undertake political reforms. As Egypt's experience shows, France has emerged as an attractive, no-strings-attached alternative for states seeking to sidestep the scrutiny of U.S. conditional aid....

Hollande's attendance at a ceremony in Doha before the summit was even more significant. France benefits from U.S.-Qatari tensions stemming from Qatar's support for radical Islamists and Muslim Brotherhood affiliates from Libya to Syria, which has led to dangerously destabilizing competition for influence with some of its Gulf neighbors with closer U.S. ties. Seeing its chance, Paris seized the opportunity to sell Doha 24 Rafale fighter jets and other military equipment worth $7 billion....

France will not supplant the United States as an alternative security guarantor for the Middle East. Despite recent instability in its regional relationships, the United States maintains a forward military presence no other country could sustain. And for all of their bluster, Gulf partners still rely on Washington's superior capabilities and will to act. But until relations between the United States and its Middle Eastern partners stabilize, France is happy to present an outlet for regional actors to express their dissatisfaction in exchange for lucrative defense deals.

France Joins NATO's Integrated Air Defense System

Source : http://www.atlanticcouncil.org

After thorough preparation and planning, jointly and effectively coordinated between the French and NATO Headquarters, France agreed to declare its assets eligible for NATO Air Policing duties over the French airspace and neighboring countries as of 01 June 2015. After a short period of time, necessary to update and implement the required operational and tactical baseline documentation, French airspace has been included in the NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence System (NATINAMDS) as of 10 June, essential to NATO's air and missile defencue policy and the cornerstone to the Alliance's collective defence.

NATO assumes responsibility for monitoring airspace over the SACEUR's area of responsibility. For the airspace over France, this responsibility is sharedbetween Allied Air Command's two Combined Air Operations Centres (CAOCs). The first, CAOC Uedem, located in Germany monitors all Northern NATO airspace including the north of France; and, likewise, CAOC Torrejon, located in Spain, monitors Southern NATO airspace including the south of France. This split is unique to NATO allies and demonstrates the special relationships and interoperability shared across the Alliance. This integration across Allied Air Command and the coordination between France and the CAOCs reflects emerging air command control capabilities for the Alliance's collective defence mission.

"France is now fully integrated into the NATINAMDS", says Lieutenant-GeneralDominique de Longvilliers, Deputy Commander of Allied Air Command. "As with every other Ally, French sovereignty is maintained through air policing. It is an important step forward for the Alliance, which now has the responsibility to monitor and perform peacetime Air Policing mission over a seamless airspace from Spain to Norway and from Western Atlantic coast to Eastern border of Turkey. We will continue to fine-tune our command and control procedures during the upcoming months to ensure NATO's high standard of interoperability as well as the Alliance's security. However, we already know we are on the right track. Indeed, this morning at 11h09 a French Mirage 2000 was requested by CAOC Uedem to takeoff against a military target for exercise. At 11h19, the M 2000 was airborne and at 11h35 the target was successfully intercepted."