Are you concerned about national defense issues? To strengthen the bond between the army and the nation, there are “defense correspondents,” or “Cordef,” in the municipalities of France. Their appointment within the municipal team is not mandatory, but it still applied to 33,748 out of 34,875 municipalities before the municipal elections. Now that the teams have changed, the Minister of the Armed Forces wants to revive this network, according to Ouest-France. Catherine Vautrin entrusted a report “on strengthening and enhancing the role of defense correspondents in municipal councils” to Julien Dive, a deputy of Nous France from Aisne.
Presented to the minister on March 31, this report highlights “a real interest in defense issues among the municipalities of Aisne,” as well as “a need for recognition and interaction with military officials, to whom defense correspondents want to be able to convey information.” Julien Dive lists 11 recommendations to “revitalize the network of Cordef,” including the opening of an extranet, the “awarding of decorations to the most deserving,” and the possibility for mayors to appoint a “Cordef” outside the municipal team.
For Julien Dive, the goal is not just to revitalize the mission, but also to evolve it “once the network is revived.” The “Cordef” would then become “resilience defense correspondents in service of overall defense.” These recommendations from the Dive report will be transmitted by the minister to all mayors in France.
*Context: The article discusses the role of defense correspondents in French municipalities and efforts to strengthen their relationship with the military. *Fact Check: The number of municipalities where the defense correspondents’ system applied before the elections is accurately reported as 33,748 out of 34,875.
