Leaders To the Front

Yesterday France deployed the nuclear powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to assist France’s forces already bombing the Islamic Caliphate (State). This deployment caught the world’s attention as it shows France is deadly serious when President Hollande says France is “at war.”

While the United States already has significant air and naval forces in the Syrian area, the carrier movement is a signal that France is not accepting the status quo and intends to hit back with everything it has. Since the terrorist attacks six days ago, France has moved aggressively. In addition to its military efforts, France is also showing it can take the lead and is moving to the front in providing international leadership.

So where is everyone else? The United States is not taking any major steps to pull together an international response. While we hear condolences from almost every country on earth (including, amazingly, the Chinese), there is little action on anyone else’s part to match the French response.

With this lackluster international support, it’s time for France to call NATO to action. After all, France is at war after being attacked, and it’s deploying a major asset in the carrier Charles de Gaulle.  NATO countries have agreed that an attack on one is an attack on all. If NATO cannot respond to this, then NATO has little reason to exist. It would obviously not respond effectively to an aggressive Russian move.

One of the reasons France needs to call on NATO is that France, or any European country, has not over the past few decades invested enough in national defense. The reality is that without the supply and transportation infrastructure of the United States military, the military forces of all the EU countries would be challenged to get significant numbers of troops to Syria and maintain them there.

The United States can get them there and help maintain them there. However, with Americans tired of sending hundreds of thousands of troops to the Middle East, it’s time now for NATO to take the lead and all the member countries send troops.

The carrier Charles de Gaulle is a symbol of French resolve to take the lead. At least someone is stepping up to the international front. As the old adage goes: lead, follow, or get out the way. We should all follow France this time.