These companies from the Alpes-Maritimes signed the ProMilès manifesto on Tuesday, May 9, at the Palais des Rois Sardes in Nice. A local commitment aiming to promote a direct link between the civil and military worlds, mainly supported by UPE 06.
73 signatures. This is a national record. The Alpes-Maritimes department now has the highest number of companies committed to initiating or strengthening a link with the military. A variety of sectors are represented, from large groups to smaller ones. Among the signatory companies are: Enedis, Mobicity, Ametra 06, the Transcan group, and even Air France’s IT center in Valbonne.
The ProMilès project exists in several regions of France. However, it is coming to the department with the main support of UPE 06 (Union Pour l’Entreprise 06) and its president Pierre Ippolito. “With the international context of the war in Ukraine, which takes us back to times we thought were over, our authority needs to reclaim military issues because unfortunately, the times and geography demand it,” he says. “More than ever, it is necessary to strengthen national cohesion at all levels. And companies from the French Riviera can play a significant role in supporting local military forces,” he continues. This cohesion is what local businesses hope to bring by allowing a skills exchange between civil society and the military.
A recognition of the commitment and involvement of military women and men in exchange for a benevolent attitude, that’s what the manifesto stipulates. Colonel Bertrand Coupez believes that both parties can unite around common values: “commitment, performance, and resilience.” The military delegate of the Alpes-Maritimes summarizes: “This measure amounts to giving substance to patriotism.”
Win-win partnerships “between two worlds that do not know each other”
“For me, this kind of event has a pre-objective of mixing different categories of civil society and the military world and showing that the uniform barrier is a psychological barrier. And that one can nourish the other,” assures the president of UPE06. Learning from each other is a primary idea that can be realized by setting up cross-paths or seminars. According to the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, the skills and ethics of the military can bring added value to businesses in terms of work organization and management, loyalty, rigor, or initiative spirit.
In addition to these missions of mutual acculturation, “between two worlds that do not know each other, and that are apprehensive of each other,” the project can take various forms. This can be realized by recruiting veterans, injured military personnel, or spouses. “It may involve associating the local economic fabric with military exercises in civil security, full-scale,” suggests the colonel. The links can also result in philanthropy actions and aim to include young people.
