(February 6, 2026)

PARIS — As he stood on the stage to deliver a keynote speech, Gen. Fabien Mandon, France’s military chief of staff, summed up the theme of the Paris Naval Conference in six direct words.

“Today,” he said, “we are preparing for war.”

The tone of the event, which saw leaders from NATO sea services gather in Paris Feb. 2-3, was decidedly direct: that France and its allies need to consider the reality that high-intensity conflict is likely in the near future. And, according to Mandon, France is not yet fully prepared.