Can France supply Zelensky 2? Senate Def Comm Chair Christian Cambon said the French military can sustain a conflict "for 3 to 4 days" due to a chronic shortage of ammo Plus, run down industrial basis means there is almost no new ammo in production

From media 

According to Christian Cambon, the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence chairman, French forces lack ammunition for a long-term conflict. 

In his reply to Public Sénat, the Upper House of French Parliament, Christian Cambon said, “after two weeks, we would start to have real difficulties, perhaps earlier on certain equipment.”

He said French Armed Forces are capable of protecting the country, but France cannot risk a longer conflict as it lacks ammunition, whether “special or conventional ammunition.”

In particular with regard to the Aster [surface-to-air Ed.] and Exocet [anti-ship Ed.] missiles, on which we are very short,” he said.

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You have to understand things well, first of all, France is currently using ammunition on the Sahelo-Saharan strip with ]Operation Ed.] Barkhane, so we are not like other European countries looking at our stocks, we are also using them” but “we have known for a long time that we do not have the thickness [volume Ed.], that is to say, the quantity, that would allow us to sustain a long-term conflict in terms of ammunition,” explained Cambon, before adding that “some speak” of “three to four days” of reserves.

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Moreover, the available quantity of ammunition is one thing, and their quality is another. The Exocet anti-ship missiles have “become uncompetitive against the supersonic missiles of our competitors, such as the Russian Zircon”, said a recent parliamentary report on military issues in the Mediterranean.

An observation was shared by Admiral Pierre Vandier, the Chief of Staff of the French Navy [CEMM], in a commentary on the Polaris 21 exercise. “More powerful weapons. Our supersonic anti-ship missile program [Ed. FMAN/FMC, Future Anti-Navigation Missile/Future Cruise Missile] ] is vital if we want to continue to be respected,” he said in an interview published by the journal ‘Conflits’.

Ammunition takes a long time to replace, says industry

The stocks of high technology ammunition – missiles and torpedoes – of the French Armed Forces, often considered a budgetary adjustment variable, are insufficient and take a long time to replace. Arms manufacturers point out indecision of the state and client and the low volume of orders due to a lack of resources.

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Several manufacturers in the French defense industry offer to store critical components with a long supply. In the event of a major conflict, due to the priorities given to investments in recent years, France could find itself in trouble when it comes to missiles and torpedoes. 

 On the contrary to what the politicians are telling the government, sophisticated arms take time to build. 

The European group MBDA, the leading supplier of high tech ammunition to France, is often singled out because of the costs, delays, and delivery times. 

https://frontierindia.com/minister-exposes-how-much-ammunition-france-holds-for-a-long-conflict/?srsltid=AfmBOopKeYpD5zj9l_TELKEBog42HtAqjOoIDUHhnOFAAwg8zEt0R2qU

AND 

According to a report published on Friday, February 17, by the Assemblée Nationale’s National Defense and Armed Forces Committee, the French military no longer has enough ammunition (shells, missiles, torpedoes, and so on) to sustain a high-intensity war.

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 "The French army’s ammunition supply has been declining since the end of the Cold War and it seems to have become unsustainable, both in terms of the current strategy and France’s military ambitions," MP Vincent Bru (MoDem) and MP Julien Rancoule (RN) wrote in the report.

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Since 2011, 6 out of 20 ammunition depots in France have been closed. While the exact level of the supply is classified, it is at its lowest and would not last more than a few weeks in the event of "bitter" conflict. "There’s reason to fear that some of our enemies may be capable of defeating us," warned the Directorate of Military Intelligence in another parliamentary report published a year ago on the army’s readiness for high-intensity conflict.

Lire en français

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/politics/article/2023/02/18/french-military-lacks-ammunition-for-high-intensity-conflict_6016329_5.html