The Quest for Relevant Air Power

French Air Force │ 87
Even with the increasing demands for power projection, the
1994 Defence White Book reconfirms the adherence to conscription,
arguing that it remains an important link between the armed
forces and society, plays a crucial role in the defence of French territory,
and is indispensable for the reconstitution of the French
armed forces. Nevertheless, it identifies a need to augment professional
personnel. 28 The FAF itself had always had a high degree of
professional personnel—it was 62 per cent in 1993. 29 However,
this did not prevent shortcomings in the FAF’s projection capability
during the Gulf War. 30
In line with his major defence reform, Chirac argued in the
mid-1990s that power projection requirements rendered conscription
obsolete. 31 As a consequence, the French armed forces
were planned to be converted into a fully professional force reduced
to 350,000 troops. This was supposed to allow power projection
of between 50,000 and 60,000 personnel beyond the national
borders. 32 Particularly, shortcomings against the backdrop
of Operation Desert Storm were to be the driving factor behind
Chirac’s reform. 33 In this thrust towards fully professional armed
forces, the FAF was to undergo a 29 per cent cut in personnel from
89,200 to 63,000 in the second half of the 1990s. 34
Compared to previous decisions, the 2008 White Book reduced
quantitative projection ambitions to 30,000 deployed ground
troops for a major operation. 35 In the same vein, the military planning
law for 2009–14 announced a reduction of military and civil
Air Force personnel, with a force goal of 50,000 by 2015. 36
Defence Policy and Its Impact upon the French Air Force.
The evolution of the FAF in the post–Cold War era has primarily
been guided by three directives—the Armed Forces 2000 project,
the directive for the reorganisation of the FAF command
structure as of 1994, and the Armed Forces Model 2015. Each
step attempted to provide an organisational response to the
shifting defence policy paradigms.
The Armed Forces 2000 project was presented for the first time
in June 1989, four months prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Two
years later, the modalities to implement the Armed Forces 2000
project were laid out. Its main objective was to improve military
crisis management capabilities by enhancing power projection. 37
A reform was considered urgent due to telling shortfalls in the