The Washington Post had this gem about French military power. Apparently France is tired of being called "second-tier", and wants to create "capability to project military force anywhere in the world."

[Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie] said she wants to tell the United States that after years of giving short shrift to its armed forces, France is now serious about heeding American calls for its European partners to share more of the burden.

Though France is still one of the world's major military powers, with nuclear weapons and a seat on the U.N. Security Council, it has only one aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, and the vessel has to spend four months in dry dock for maintenance after each year of operation. Helicopters are often grounded for lack of spare parts.

To modernize their forces France plans to increase military spending by 6.1%, which will place France "in violation of the European Union's 'stability pact,' under which the 12 countries of the single-currency euro zone have pledged to keep their budgets close to balanced."

Its no wonder we are always bailing them out. Why would any country voluntarily let a foreign country (or union) dictate how much they spend militarily.