FACING NEW CHALLENGES WITH AMERICA’S OLDEST ALLY: A CONVERSATION WITH FRENCH MINISTER FOR THE ARMED FORCES FLORENCE PARLY - Since assuming office in January, President Biden has emphasized his administration’s goal to restore the transatlantic relationship. US-EU relations suffered major setbacks under the previous administration, but with the launch of new transatlantic initiatives—notably the new EU-US Trade and Technology Council—and a successful first trip to Europe, President Biden has made significant strides in his goal to restore bilateral relations. However, the question remains: what do European leaders think?

In her first visit to the US since the start of the Biden administration, French Minister for the Armed Forces Florence Parly joined the Council for a conversation about opportunities for transatlantic cooperation on defense as well as France’s priorities for European defense, as France assumed the Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2022. Developing a joint strategy to face Chinese actions, notably in the Indo-Pacific, as well as Russian aggression, in Europe or Africa, establishing norms for space usage and governance, and coordinating a response to cybersecurity threats all dominated discussions at high-level convenings in June, which included the NATO Summit, the G7 Summit, and the EU-US summit. Minister Parly provided further insight into France’s response to these key challenges and the future of Franco-American defense efforts.

Moderating this important conversation was Kevin Baron, the Executive Director of Defense One.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 07/09/21