Interview: French Army chief Schill talks technology, surprise and ‘archaic’ combat

PARIS — French Army Chief of Staff Gen. Pierre Schill, in the job since July 2021, has led the country’s land forces in a push toward higher readiness and preparation for high-intensity warfare, incorporating lessons from Ukraine while preparing for networked and drone-enabled conflict.In an interview ahead of the Eurosatory defense show here, which runs June 15-19, the general discussed how the Army is embedding innovation and adapting to a rapidly evolving battlefield.This interview has been edited for length and clarity.We’re in a period of accelerating innovation, but armies in peacetime often struggle to move beyond experimentation. How do you ensure adoption at unit level, and where does it still fail?We are indeed experiencing a tremendous phase of technological acceleration, probably comparable in scale to major historic disruptions such as the Industrial Revolution or the mechanization of warfare in the twentieth century. This transformation is not over; it has probably only just begun.In this environment, innovation cannot be considered as a final state. There is no such thing as an ‘innovated army.’ Innovation has become a permanent adaptation process. Operational superiority now depends as much on the ability to learn and evolve quickly as on the equipment itself.To accelerate the transition from innovation to experimentation and then to operational implementation, the French Army relies on two complementary dynamics.The first is ‘bottom-up’ innovation, based on pioneering spirit, initiative and the ability of units to adapt their practices and equipment in response to operational realities. Recent conflicts show that this tactical agility has become decisive.The second is ‘top-down’ innovation, structured around the Future Combat Command, operational feedback and overall capability coherence. It allows us to direct efforts, establish priorities and integrate useful developments into a broader vision of future warfare.The brigade exploratory hubs ensure