The French MOD chief, Sebastien Lecornu, declared his readiness to use his authority to requisition industrial capacities to encourage manufacturers to accelerate production volumes and provide Ukraine with the fastest possible aid.
France wants to force defence manufacturers to speed up production for Ukraine
Lekornu noted that the relevant issues "are on the table".
The minister added that the enormous burden is currently placed on manufacturers of air defence systems and artillery shells.
He emphasised that he can order to forcibly requisition weapons stockpiles, or make a decision to give priority to the defense industry for the production of weapons under certain agreements.
As one such example, Lecornu indicated the Aster rockets produced by MBDA.
The minister emphasised that French-made weapons are widely demanded worldwide, mainly for anti-defense, artillery, and radar systems.
We missed certain contracts with the countries of Eastern Europe, for which the criterion of delivery terms is more important than the price, Lecornu explained.
Can the French government withdraw the stockpiles of weapons for the needs of Ukraine?
According to him, the law gives the Minister and the General Delegate for Armaments the authority to take appropriate measures if the situation is unsatisfactory regarding production rates and deadlines.
The minister of the armed forces is relying on the law on military programming for the years 2024-2030, which was made public in August.
According to this law, in the case of "an actual or perceived threat to activities necessary for the life of the nation, the protection of the population, the integrity of the territory or the stability of the institutions of the Republic, or such that justifies the fulfilment of the international defence obligations of the state, the requisition of any person, physical or legal, as well as all goods and services necessary to combat it, can be decided by a decree of the Council of Ministers".
At the same time, the minister did not rule out that such decisions may be made in the coming weeks.
