FRANCE:A founder member of Nato in 1949, France withdrew its forces from the alliance's integrated military structure in 1966 under Charles de Gaulle after a series of disputes over the dominant role of the United States.
Since then, no non-French Nato troops have been stationed on French soil, no French forces serve under permanent Nato command and France is not a member of Nato's Defence Planning Committee.
France remained a member of the Atlantic Council, Nato's political body, however, and participates in Nato military operations, including those in Kosovo and Afghanistan where thousands of French troops are serving. France is also a major financial contributor to Nato, shouldering almost 14 per cent of the civilian budget and almost 13 per cent of the military budget.
In 1995, France took a more active role in Nato's military structures, joining the Military Committee and sending officers for training at its Belgian headquarters, but it remained outside the integrated military command.
