“I will be Vernonnais all my life”

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While he was returned to Ministry of the Armed Forces on September 21, and on the occasion of the release of his book “Towards war? » published by Plon, Sébastien Lecornu, former mayor of Vernon (Your), and Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans, discusses the international, national and Vernon situation.

How did your reappointment to the Ministry of the Armed Forces take place?

It was a period of unprecedented political transition where I never considered that my place was assured. To be completely transparent, I had rather prepared to leave my functions.

That said, I have never hidden the fact that these functions fascinate me, in a rather special ministry which falls within the reserved domain of the President of the Republic who wished to confirm me in this function.

I obviously met Michel Barnier, we had an in-depth conversation. He then proposed to the president that I continue my mission at the Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs.

Did you hesitate before accepting, given the political context?

I probably would not have agreed to continue in government in any ministry other than that of the Armed Forces.

My passion is here, and I was ready to continue the action started to transform our armies, with the doubling of their budget, the transition to a war economy of our defense industry and the transformations linked to major technological breakthroughs such as artificial intelligence or space. In short, there are some exciting projects underway.

What will be your priorities as Minister of the Armed Forces?

The two conflicts in Ukraine and the Near and Middle East mobilize a lot of energy on a daily basis. There is obviously the support we provide to Ukraine, but also the mobilization of our armies in the Near and Middle East to avoid a regional war.

Manage emergencies

We have 700 soldiers present on the blue line between Israel and Lebanon, sailors deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea. This is one of the most acute security crises in the Middle East since the post-war period.

At the same time, I must plan on long-term missions to prepare our armies to protect the French and our interests in the years to come.

All the money we give is not to win yesterday’s war but to try to prevent – ​​and win – tomorrow’s wars. I devote a lot of time to monitoring weapons programs for drones, for the new generation aircraft carrier, for the modernization of our nuclear deterrent, or even our aeronautical and land forces.

Basically, each day is a constant back and forth between very short time and very long time.

If the conflict in the Middle East flares up, what could be the consequences on national territory? How to prevent them?

There is first of all a security risk for our troops engaged under UN mandate, but also for French nationals in the Middle East.

This conflict could lead to a significant destabilization of our trade flows, both import and export, with significant repercussions on the prices of hydrocarbons or on the income of our farmers, for example.

Furthermore, this conflict can also fuel the various jihadist currents and confront us with an even greater terrorist risk than the one we know today.

Can the conflict in the Middle East have political repercussions at the national level?

I regret that La France Insoumise seeks to hysterize a crisis which is already particularly complicated, by repeatedly repeating untruths, in particular that France would sell weapons to Israel which would be used to kill civilians in Gaza.

These are unfounded and false accusations. The world situation is complex, and the impact for France is serious. We need to have a political debate that is dignified and level, and which is not based on lies and slander.

Deadlines are approaching, notably the presidential election of 2027. You were present during the wishes of Édouard Philippe, boss of Horizons, last January. He has positioned himself in the presidential race, does this mean that you will support him?

As Minister of the Armed Forces, I really don’t have time to worry about the presidential election.

If the question is, am I close to Édouard Philippe? The answer is yes, he is my friend! Is Horizons, of which I am not a member, a training course that I am nevertheless close to? Obviously yes, because it supports the government of which I am a member. It is obvious that Édouard Philippe has an important voice which is very valuable for the country. Afterwards, everything in its time.

In the meantime, there are municipal elections in 2026. Will you play a role in Vernon?

I still chair Générations Vernon, the political movement which supports and organizes the life of the municipal majority since 2014. I am a departmental councilor for the canton of Vernon.

In 2026, there will once again be a political offer for the Vernonnaises and the Vernonnais which will be supported by Générations Vernon. This will obviously require a significant investment from the outgoing mayor, François Ouzilleau. As for me, I naturally want to continue my local commitment.

In what form?

The time will come when my national commitment will stop. I live in Vernon, my family lives in Vernon.

The 2026 election will be a real challenge for the outgoing municipal majority because we will have to profoundly reinvent ourselves and I will take my part in it. We are going to carry out a profound renewal of faces, but also of ideas since the city of 2026 will have nothing to do with the city of 2014. New ideas will be needed because the city has changed after 10 years of action. In addition, new problems are emerging.

“We will have to reinvent ourselves”

With Générations Vernon, we will carry out numerous thematic workshops starting this fall, internal or open to all, in order to reflect on the breakthroughs to be made to define a new project to propose to the inhabitants of Vernon. With François Ouzilleau, we are – again! – young enough to reinvent ourselves and even prepare a new generation.

We will have to do it with great humility, and take more time with our fellow citizens. I am aware that our functions can take us apart and I want to return to what made us strong in 2014: new ideas and groundwork!

It’s been ten years since Générations Vernon has presided over the destiny of the city… Are you fully satisfied with the action taken, do you have any regrets?

I am never fully satisfied, by character and by requirement. We share this with François Ouzilleau. Being satisfied with oneself is a trap into which too many politicians fall…The time for municipal action is long, too long, like the major transformations of our urban planning.

Between the moment we had the idea of ​​making a cinema and the groundbreaking, years passed. Anyone who promises magic solutions during the next municipal elections will be liars. This relationship with time can therefore give meaning to a third mandate for the team that we lead to bring certain ambitions to fruition.

Concrete, hard work, all these major works monopolize a lot of energy and money for a city with only 25,000 inhabitants.

We have always assumed a level of ambition which is above what we are capable of doing. And I gave myself the means and that is why the Departmental Council has been behind it since 2015. But this requires us to make budgetary choices which would not be possible without rigorous management of public funds.

The attractiveness of a city also depends on the social, educational, cultural and sporting policies which are of quality in Vernon today, but this remains fragile.

Our city is not immune to the more global ills of French society, such as the question of associative commitment or the rise of individualism. Preserving the associative fabric of Vernon in 2030 or 2035 is a real challenge, especially since the population will change a lot.

In the past, the question of employment dominated all other subjects in my office. From now on, questions of housing and transport take precedence.

The question of employment takes a bit of a back seat, but here too let’s persevere because nothing is ever a given! The city’s ability to get better tomorrow always lies in its ability to secure economic activity. We did it with McArthurGlen and the support of many companies. The reconversion of the Space plateau is only just beginning. We must therefore not abandon the long-term economic fight, even if I note that no one talks about it much in the local public debate…

Where do you see Vernon in ten years?

I think we are gradually escaping the “suburbanization” of Vernon. This is what we will have succeeded in part, including in terms of everyday security, but the fight is not over. I am thinking in particular of rail transport where there remains so much to do.

Having an urban living environment, taking advantage of the metropolisation of Paris, but defending our fundamentally “Norman” identity in the heart of a rural area is essential.

“Defend our Norman identity”

If we had not acted as we have done for ten years, we would have had a degraded living environment and we would be the last area on the outskirts of Paris. This would have had an impact on the value of real estate. Instead, we have asserted ourselves as the gateway to Normandy, defending an economic, urban and therefore ecological, but also sporting and cultural identity.

And you, how do you see yourself in ten years?

Ten years ago, I was elected mayor. If you had told me that one year later I would be elected president of the Departmental Council, that three years later I would be a member of the government, then today Minister of the Armed Forces, I would not have believed you. We must therefore remain humble and not predict anything.

I will not be in politics all my life, but I will be a Vernonnais all my life. I am deeply convinced of this. I’m at a point where I’m not planning a career plan. What is certain is that I like doing concrete things, that’s why I loved being mayor and why municipal commitment remains a personal anchor for me.

On the occasion of the release of his book “Towards war? » (Éditions Plon), the Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans is organizing a conference debate on Wednesday November 13 at 7 p.m., at the Espace Philippe Auguste in Vernon. The minister will answer questions from participants on defense issues and the major security issues facing France.

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