This article is based on a presentation given by Brigadier Vincent Desportes at a conference organised by Senator Jean-Pierre Masseret at the French Senate on 19 February 2007. In warfare today, the opposition of huge arsenals of weapons no longer has any sense. Winning does not mean destroying, even with precise weapons, but of controlling the environment in the area of operations. Land forces are the essential tool in France’s involvement in current crises.
