BBC: The main threat facing France is that of terrorism and the country's defence system needs to reflect that, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said.
He was presenting a major overhaul of the military which includes cutting more than 50,000 defence jobs and boosting intelligence resources.
Mr Sarkozy confirmed France would soon rejoin the military command of Nato that it left in 1966.
He was outlining his new strategy to some 3,000 senior officers in Paris.
There is no doubt that France's new defence policy bears the stamp of President Nicolas Sarkozy himself, says BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus.
He is the most Atlanticist president to occupy the Elysee Palace since the late 1950s, our correspondent adds.
In 1966, Gen Charles de Gaulle pulled French troops out of Nato's integrated command structure as a gesture of independence from Washington. French Defence to Counter Terror >>> | June 17, 2008
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback – USA)
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