The author voices here the uneasiness of officers of all three services with regard to their future. They are undergoing a crisis which is apparent in a number of opinion polls and reports, including that of the High Committee for the Evaluation of the Military Condition: a decrease in numbers joining, an increase in unprompted retirements, low morale, and so on. Hope was placed on the statements made by the Minister for Defence during the 75th meeting of the High Committee for Military Matters (CSFM) in March 2007 regarding improvements in pay. Three months later Hervé Morin, the successor to Michèle Alliot-Marie, pushed back all index-linked improvements to 2009, which leads one to fear the worst.
Officers: What does the Future Hold?
‘If for twenty years a lot has been done, and rightly so, for your non-commissioned officers, it must be recognised that the same cannot be said for the officers . . . Promotion is too slow and the salary is insufficient . . . Every effort must be made so that the recognition given to those who devote their lives to the service of their country should be greater than ever.’
War Budget rapporteur, 1910
‘The soldier loses his sense of discipline and willingness to make an effort when commanded by officers who regret their decision to follow such a career. One can see the sad results of the military incompetence of Parliament, bureaucratic inertia, and the inability of commanders of all ranks to submit to higher authority the grievances of their subordinates.’
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