The highest echelons of the French military leadership are signaling a profound and significant overhaul of the nation's defense strategy, placing full operational readiness for potential large-scale engagements at the absolute forefront. General Pierre Schill, the Chief of Staff of the Army, has publicly confirmed that by the year 2026, French ground forces will be fully equipped and prepared to deploy in support of Ukraine. This potential deployment would occur should the necessity arise under the framework of future European security guarantees. General Schill specifically designated 2026 as the “year of coalitions,” a term intended to underscore the critical, non-negotiable importance of coordinated planning and synchronized actions with France's international partners and allied nations.
Central to realizing this comprehensive state of preparedness is the planning of the massive, multi-domain exercise officially dubbed “Orion-26.” The core objective of this extensive drill is to rigorously test and refine the cohesion, interoperability, and logistical efficiency of ground, air, and naval components operating together within established coalition structures. The preceding iteration of the Orion exercises, which was initially scheduled for 2023, was instrumental in incorporating crucial strategic and tactical lessons gleaned directly from the events unfolding on the Ukrainian fronts. General Schill has further emphasized that the French Army must maintain the robust, inherent capacity to simultaneously address three distinct levels of complex threats, a mandate which now explicitly includes potential operational involvement concerning the Ukrainian theater of conflict.
Simultaneously, serious concerns regarding the trajectory of escalation are being articulated by other highly ranked military figures within the French establishment. General Thierry Burkhard, the former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, previously issued a stark warning, asserting that the Kremlin views France as one of its key strategic objectives and targets. His successor, General Fabien Mandon, who officially took up his post on July 23, 2025, is now vigorously advocating for an immediate and substantial increase in the nation’s military budget. General Mandon operates under the firm conviction that a direct, high-intensity confrontation with Russia is a tangible possibility that could materialize within the relatively short timeframe of the next three to four years, necessitating immediate financial mobilization.
These high-level strategic pronouncements are being systematically reinforced by concrete, actionable measures implemented at the national level across France. Detailed reports indicate that civilian medical facilities throughout the country have received explicit instructions to prepare for the intake and treatment of a potentially significant number of casualties. The projected range for these preparations is substantial, covering between 10,000 and 50,000 wounded personnel. This critical medical preparedness window is slated to commence in March 2026 and is expected to span a duration of 10 to 180 days. Furthermore, there is a strong operational emphasis on maintaining rapid response capabilities: up to 7,000 service members must be ready for deployment on extremely short notice—a window ranging from 12 hours up to five days. This high state of readiness is mandatory for both critical national defense missions and France's binding commitments under the NATO alliance framework, demonstrating a shift toward a war-fighting footing.