France’s military chief resigned on Wednesday after a debate with President Emmanuel Macron over defence budget cuts. Pierre de Villiers said he could no longer guarantee the “robustness of the defence forces” given the financial restrictions. Macron has accepted the resignation, the 60-year-old head of the armed forces said.
“In the current circumstances I see myself as no longer able to guarantee the robust defense force I believe is necessary to guarantee the protection of France and the French people, today and tomorrow, and to sustain the aims of our country,” de Villiers said.
The development is a new obstacle for the recently elected president. De Villiers is believed to have used foul language while criticising Macron’s € 850 million cut in the defence budget.
Macron had made his displeasure of de Villier’s opposition public. “I have made commitments, I am your boss,” he had said during his address at an Army event.
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