02/09/2025
According to multiple reports, the French Ministry of Health issued a confidential directive on July 18, 2025, instructing regional health agencies to prepare hospitals for a potential "major military engagement" by March 2026.
The directive, first revealed by the French newspaper *Le Canard Enchaîné*, outlines preparations for a high-intensity war scenario in Europe, including the capacity to handle 10,000 to 50,000 wounded soldiers, both French and allied, over periods ranging from 10 to 180 days.
It includes plans for setting up medical staging centers near ports, airports, and train stations to facilitate the treatment and repatriation of casualties, as well as training for medical personnel in war traumatology and psychological care.
French Health Minister Catherine Vautrin has described these measures as precautionary, akin to preparing for other crises like pandemics, and not a prediction of war. The initiative is part of broader European efforts to bolster resilience amid heightened geopolitical tensions, particularly with Russia.
Via Euronews: France preparing hospitals to care for war-wounded soldiers by March 2026 https://www.euronews.com/health/2025/09/02/france-preparing-hospitals-to-care-for-war-wounded-soldiers-by-march-2026
