French Army Commander Schill Addresses Technological Innovation, the Element of Surprise, and the Persistence of Old-Fashioned Combat

Summary

French Army Chief of Staff General Pierre Schill sat down for an interview ahead of the Eurosatory defense exhibition in Paris to discuss how France's land forces are adapting to modern warfare by embedding continuous innovation at both the unit and strategic levels. Schill emphasized that the war in Ukraine, while highly instructive, should not be treated as a universal template for future conflict, warning against over-specialization and stressing that traditional forms of combat such as trench warfare and urban fighting continue to coexist alongside advanced technologies like drones and electronic warfare. He outlined how the French Army has updated its training to reflect modern battlefield realities, including operations under drone threats, electronic jamming, and degraded command environments, with the large-scale Orion 26 exercise validating the Army's transformation direction. Looking ahead to the planned war-ready division by 2027, Schill acknowledged critical capability gaps in areas such as deep fires, air defense, logistics, counter-drone systems, and electronic warfare, noting these enablers are now receiving accelerated investment under France's updated Military Programming Law. Throughout the interview, Schill reinforced that France's military model must remain versatile and full-spectrum, capable of operating across homeland defense, overseas engagements, and high-intensity coalition warfare simultaneously.