France to cut its army by 20 million

The French government plans to cut the country's armed forces by 20 million people in the period from 2016 to 2019, Le Figaro newspaper said.

According to the paper, the strategy was described in the annual report of the Ministry of Defense, the so-called "White Book on Defense," which will arrive on Monday at the disposal of President Francois Hollande.

It is assumed that during the reporting period, an average of 5,000 army posts will be cut every year. The ratio of reduced positions in various departments and services will be decided later, when the law on military planning is passed for 2014-2019. The document will be discussed in the Parliament in the fall.