The French Military isn't bad.
Military branches:
Army (includes Marines, Foreign Legion, Army Light Aviation), Navy (including naval air), Air Force (including Air Defense), National Gendarmerie
Military manpower - military age:
18 years of age (2004 est.)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 14,487,165 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 12,044,827 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 394,413 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$45,238.1 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.6% (2003)
Their total expenditure is ahead of the UK and the only two nations spending more are USA and China I believe.
Don't confuse the nice people with facts. After all, they got creamed by another major industrial power sixty years ago.
A quick check of
The CIA world factbook shows that they spend the third most on defence (about 45 billion), they lag behind China (60 billion) and the US (300 billion).
But satirists will tell us they're cowardly surender monkeys because they were conquered by the Nazis sixty years ago. After all, doesn't history show we dispatched the nazis with ease. (well, at least some of the movies look that way). Besides, they owe us involvement in a quagmire since they dragged us into 'Nam fourty years ago.
The French certainly have their problems, they are far from perfect. But are we perfect and flawless? After all, is denying ever having made any mistakes a sign of strength? Is trying to address and correct problems a form of weakness?
