France to boost defense budget

The armed patrols on French streets, introduced as an emergency measure in the wake of January's attacks in Paris, will become a permanent fixture, the country's president announced Wednesday.

"France is facing big threats internally and externally," Francois Hollande told reporters following a defense cabinet meeting. "Security, protection and independence are principles that are non-negotiable."

Hollande said France would increase its defense budget by 3.8 billion euros ($4.2 billion) over four years, starting in 2016, to make sure its armed forces could tackle problems at home and maintain its missions abroad, especially in Africa and the Middle East.

His announcement comes almost four months after extremists attacked the offices of Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket in Paris in three days of violence which left 17 victims dead and put Europe on high alert.

Patrols and positions to stay

The street patrols, especially at sensitive sites like synagogues and transport hubs, would be kept, with a force of 7,000 dedicated to internal security.

Paris, which is under pressure to reduce state spending and meet deficit targets, had previously planned to reduce spending on defense. Hollande did not give details on Wednesday about how the government would raise the 3.8 billion euros, which would go towards financing army operations and purchasing new equipment.

It had been projected that some 34,000 armed forces jobs would be cut between 2014 and 2019, but according to an unnamed top French official quoted by news agencies Reuters and AP, more than half those positions - about 18,500 - would now be preserved.

According to AFP, France has about 9,000 troops in military operations abroad including in the Sahel region and the Central African Republic.

se/lw (AFP, AP, Reuters, dpa)