At the Congress of Mayors, in Paris, on 11/18/2025, General Fabien Mandon, Chief of the Defense Staff (CEMA), calls on elected officials to prepare the nation for war and sacrifices—human losses and economic effort and defense budget in the name of French deterrence against the Russian threat in Europe. The statement immediately causes a shock and divides LFI, PCF, and RN on one side. Meanwhile, the majority and the socialists find themselves on the other side. This reignites the debate on the role of a military leader. Moreover, it raises questions concerning the "three, four years" horizon.
A warning issued to mayors, at the heart of the Mayors and Local Authorities Fair
Fabien Mandon, Chief of the Defense Staff (CEMA) since 09/01/2025, shook the assembly gathered at the Congress of Mayors of France on 11/18/2025. In front of elected officials from all over the country, the general urged the municipalities to prepare for tougher times. He stated that we will have to accept losing our children on theaters of operations and suffer economically. Indeed, this could happen if the national effort is directed towards defense. Consequently, he asked the mayors to discuss it in their communities. Thus, local authorities are placed at the forefront of the mental preparation of the population.
These remarks are part of a longer sequence. On 10/22/2025, in front of parliamentarians, Fabien Mandon had already mentioned the need to be "ready for a shock in three, four years" against Russia, recalling that Europe has the industrial and demographic means to withstand the confrontation but lacks "strength of spirit." In his view, the central issue is European deterrence: the adversary only attacks if they believe our societies are averse to sacrifices.
What does "losing our children" mean?
The phrase chilled the audience because it touches on the intimate. The CEMA speaks of soldiers "our children" in the sense of the youth engaged under the flag and an inherent risk of war that any defense strategy aims precisely to avoid. Implicitly: without social resilience, European deterrence becomes less credible. Mandon repeats that "Europeans are much stronger than Russia" if, collectively, they show the will to defend themselves.
Another important clarification: the scenario mentioned by the CEMA did not describe a war on French soil, but the hypothesis of an engagement in Eastern Europe, in the shadow of the war in Ukraine to support an attacked ally, within the framework of NATO commitments. It is about anticipating the unexpected (cyber, drones, hybrid strikes, conventional escalation) and discussing it frankly, including with local elected officials who are, in crisis, decisive actors of cohesion.
Chain reactions: support, condemnations, fault lines
The political storm rose on the evening of 11/19/2025. Jean-Luc Mélenchon (LFI) expresses his "total disagreement," judging that a Chief of the Defense Staff "should not say that." The LFI group reproaches the CEMA for dramatizing war scenarios and overstepping his role by addressing mayors directly.
On the left, Fabien Roussel (PCF) criticizes a "warmongering" speech and refers to the national mourning engraved in 51,000 war memorials. Ségolène Royal speaks of delirious and anxiety-inducing statements for the youth. Furthermore, she questions Emmanuel Macron on the executive’s line.
On the far right, Sébastien Chenu (RN) denounces a "mistake": the CEMA would not have the legitimacy to make such statements. In the majority, on the contrary, Pieyre-Alexandre Anglade defends the "reality of the threat." Catherine Vautrin, Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans, recalls that not preparing for a high-intensity war by 2030 would be "a mistake." Expert voices, like Jérôme Pellistrandi (National Defense), speak of pedagogy: making a risk tangible that public opinion struggles to perceive.
Behind the exchange of blows, three lines emerge:
A radical left (LFI) and part of the left (PCF, socialist figures) denounce a warlike rhetoric. Moreover, they criticize the overstepping of the military role.
- The RN opposes the tone of the CEMA while positioning itself as a guardian of peace.
- The majority and social democrats defend a discourse of lucidity and preparation.
Portrait: who is Fabien Mandon?
Born on 10/19/1969 in Montmorency (Val-d’Oise), Fabien Mandon is a fighter pilot who graduated from the École de l’air. He commanded the 3/13 "Alsace" fighter squadron, then the 702 Avord air base. As a staff officer, he accumulated war missions in Africa (notably Chad and DRC) and in several external operations. He has completed 144 war missions and was elevated to the rank of Air Force General.
At the top of the politico-military apparatus, he led the military cabinet of the Minister of the Armed Forces. This lasted from 09/01/2020 to 04/30/2023, before he became Chief of the President’s Military Staff. (05/01/2023–08/31/2025). His appointment as CEMA was approved in the Council of Ministers on 07/23/2025, with duties starting on 09/01/2025. He is the first aviator to lead the armed forces in three decades.
His career and networks explain his tone: accustomed to politico-military arbitrations, he knows the interfaces between strategy, budget, operations, opinion. His speech is abrupt and borrows the register of truth from the military. However, he shocks when he transfers this register into the civic space.
"Accepting to lose," for Mandon, describes the ultimate cost that the nation precisely refuses to bear by making European deterrence credible. It is a paradox difficult to publicly convey.
What deterrence and "strength of spirit" say
European deterrence, both conventional and nuclear, rests on three pillars: capacity, credibility, communication. Capacity: forces, munitions, industries. Credibility: the political and societal will to bear a high cost. Communication: a clear signal to the adversary. When Fabien Mandon emphasizes "strength of spirit," he links national cohesion and strategic posture. If Western societies are perceived as rejecting any loss, the adversary may be tempted to "push their advantage."
Hence the call to mayors. In case of crisis, logistics, reception, public order, information: local authorities hold the cohesion. Speaking "in advance" with them is an attempt to strengthen the local link in defense.
The democratic limits of the CEMA’s role
In France, the armed forces are subject to civilian authority: the president is the commander-in-chief, the government conducts defense policy, the CEMA advises and implements. The public speaking of a military leader, especially in front of elected officials, therefore raises a question of scope: is alerting already prescribing? Critics (LFI, PCF, RN) believe that by addressing mayors, the CEMA oversteps. Supporters argue that explaining the threat is a responsibility.
The real boundary is institutional: no political orientation or challenge to the choices of civilian power. In his intervention, Mandon remains on strategic alert (time horizons, societal vulnerability, industrial needs). But the choice of words "our children" radicalizes the reception of the message.
Strategic context: Ukraine, Russia, and horizons 2029-2030
The war in Ukraine continues, Russia combines hybrid pressures (cyber, drones, disinformation) and attrition. European scenarios evoke the possibility of an open conflict by 2029, while the French ministry speaks of a risk of high-intensity conflict by 2030. In this perspective, France and Europe are accelerating: munitions, stocks, defense industry, reserves, interoperability, European rearmament.
The CEMA highlights a moral imbalance rather than a material one: according to him, Europe "has everything" (knowledge, economy, demography), provided it assumes a budgetary prioritization towards defense and an effort of resilience. It is this signal of will and cohesion that, according to him, deters Moscow.
Decoding a vocabulary that shocks
- "Accepting to lose our children": a shocking phrase to express the human cost of a war that strategy precisely aims to prevent. It reactivates the memory of world wars and communal memorials.
- "Shock in three, four years": it is not a prediction, but a planning horizon. Indeed, it allows to equip the forces, mobilize the industry, and raise awareness in society.
- "Strength of spirit": a moral translation of strategic credibility. Without minimal adherence, deterrence withers.
This lexicon, effective internally, becomes abrasive publicly. Hence the accusation of being anxiety-inducing and, conversely, the defense of a frank pedagogy.
What remains unresolved
Several political questions arise from this affair:
- Strategic communication: how to speak truthfully about the risk without paralyzing? Are dedicated formats (notes to mayors, crisis exercises, information campaigns) needed rather than an isolated formula?
- Capabilities: where to place the budgetary cursor between defense, energy transition, public services? The prioritization argument advanced by the CEMA opens a political debate.
- Role of the armed forces in the civic space: what frequency and what frameworks for the CEMA’s speeches?
The Mandon sequence reveals a France torn between the will to anticipate and the fear of a warlike rhetoric. It reminds that in a democracy, preparing for peace requires both ready forces, informed citizens, and appropriate words.