The armed forces chief of staff divides elected officials by insisting that France must “accept the loss of its children”

Published on 11/20/2025 15.00.

Reading time: 2 minutes – video: 2 minutes

“If our country wavers because it is not ready to accept the loss of its children (…) then we are at risk,” said General Mandon, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, on Tuesday 18 November in the presence of French mayors. His comments sparked a lot of reactions.

This text corresponds to the transcription section of the report above. Click on the video to watch it in full.

The declaration was signed by General Fabien Mandon, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. Tuesday, November 18, facing the mayor of the municipality, the general wanted to prepare elected officials to accept possible casualties in the event of an armed conflict: “If our country failed because it was not prepared to accept the loss of its children, there is something that must be said. If we are not ready for that, then we are at risk.“

His surprising statement marked the elected officials of Lozère. “This is not the place; I think it scares people. Let’s prepare first, yes, try to recruit, yes, but we also won’t try to make our children aware. estimates Xavier Poudevigne, mayor (SE) of Prinsuéjols-Malbouzon (Lozère).

On the contrary, a useful warning according to Daniel Jollit, mayor (LR) of Rome (Deux-Sèvres): “It’s a real worry for the future, but for all that, I think we need to prepare. And most importantly, let’s make it clear to foreign parties who could attack us that we are ready.”

This is not the first time General Mandon has taken action. Already facing deputies, he estimates France should be ready for conflict with Russia within three or four years. The position was denounced on the morning of Thursday, November 20 by some on the left. “I do not believe that it is the role of a military leader to go before elected officials and give them a speech like that, a speech that I would describe as a political speech.“, denounced Alexis Corbières, MP (Ecologist and Socialist) for Seine-Saint-Denis.

On the other hand, for the central bloc, the general’s warning was valid. “The military’s role is still to highlight risks and prepare for the worst. So he didn’t overstep his role“, estimated Marc Fesneau, president of the Les Démocrates group in the National Assembly. In the morning, the National Rally also denounced the chief of staff’s mistakes.