France and NATO

1
France and NATO

• One of the original members in 1949
• NATO headquarters were initially in Paris
• France disengages from NATO between 1959 and 1966
• Still closely allied with the West and ready to
  reintegrate NATO if the West was attacked by the
  USSR
• France rejoined NATOs Military Committee in 1995
• Return to full membership in 2009

2
France in the Cold War and after

• A third position between the US and the USSR
• Independent nuclear strike force (still to this
  day). Third largest in the world.
• French 36,000 soldiers abroad
• French military involved in Afghanistan
• Peace-keeping missions
• Haiti
• Ivory Coast
• Lebanon
• Former Yugoslovia
• Third-largest arms producer seller in the world

3
Nuclear Power

• Energy independence after the two oil crises in
  the 1970s
• 76 of the electrical power highest percentage
  in the world
• The largest exporter of electricity in the world
• Areva North American headquarters is in
  Lynchburg