Kamikaze drones, Caesar cannon shells, surface-to-air missiles... An MP lists the munitions that the army lacks most, despite a "colossal" investment promised by the Prime Minister

Does the French Army have enough ammunition? According to Socialist MP Anna Pic, rapporteur for opinion on the army budget, "the level of ammunition stocks remains a limiting factor for training and the level of operational preparation". Although she is sounding the alarm on this problem, the elected official from La Manche notes that the problem has been “identified and taken into account”.

In recent years, there have been numerous reports on the subject, from the report by the Mirallès/Thiériot deputies in 2022 to the current Minister of the Armed Forces, Catherine Vautrin. The latter already regretted last year "a stock level that was too low". To remedy this, the Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, announced last March additional orders for munitions by 2030 for 8.5 billion euros.

A “colossal” but “indispensable” investment was then justified by the head of government, evoking “an emergency” for the French army. “Priority” munitions in the event of war But all this takes time and seven months after Sébastien Lecornu's announcements, the problem is still relevant. In her opinion delivered on October 22, Anna Pic describes ammunition stocks “as a major limiting factor in increasing the level of operational preparation”.

“It’s about finding a balance between building up stocks for high intensity and training, in a context of finite resources and a certain inertia in industrial production,” recommends the socialist MP for La Manche. The latter lists the munitions for which the needs are the most urgent, because they are those "priority from the perspective of high intensity engagement". These are remotely operated munitions (also called kamikaze drones), NLAW anti-tank missiles (for Next generation Light Anti-tank Weapon), Mistral surface-to-air missiles, 155 mm shells for Caesar cannons and even 120 mm mortar munitions.

“The year 2027 should, however, make it possible to accelerate this rise in strength thanks to a financial effort of 4.1 billion euros. These credits should make it possible to continue orders and gradually improve the level of stocks,” specifies Anna Pic.

Machine-translated from French