A Civil Security airbase in Mont-de-Marsan? Bruno Retailleau puts the Landes in the cold

Promised by Gérald Darmanin, the Civil Security airbase will not be established in Mont-de-Marsan. The current Minister of the Interior has just dashed Landes' hopes in a letter addressed to the President of the Departmental Council.

History sadly repeats itself. Mont-de-Marsan had been rejected in favor of Libourne as the location for a new Civil Security base. In August 2023, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin then formalized the choice of Gironde to accommodate the 565 soldiers and their families . With a state investment of 318 million euros. In the process, the current Minister of Justice mitigated the disappointment of Landes politicians with the promise of "the installation of the second Civil Security air base."

Providing a little more detail, Gérald Darmanin mentioned the creation of a "daughter base" to reinforce the existing one in Nîmes. "It will allow for faster intervention in the West and Southwest. As for the number and types of aircraft involved, we are working on it," he said almost two years ago.

"The installation of a second permanent air base in the Southwest is not planned for the moment."

On April 29, the president of the Landes Departmental Council, Xavier Fortinon, received a letter signed by Bruno Retailleau, the current Minister of the Interior. The response was terse. "The installation of a second permanent air base in the Southwest is not planned for the time being," he wrote. The head of the Department, "who has sent numerous reminder letters," did not hide his anger in a press release: "Bruno Retailleau has finally responded and dismissed in a letter the promises of Mr. Darmanin and Ms. Darrieussecq." He emphasized "the about-turn of the Minister of the Interior," which speaks volumes "about the real interest that this government and its supporters have in protecting the Landes forest."

"We are in the heart of one of the largest forest areas. Having these relays in terms of aerial resources would have allowed for a certain responsiveness in responding to fires."

Commissioned by the departmental council to handle this matter, Frédéric Dutin is not being too fussy, emphasizing "the failure of the elected officials supporting this government." He points to a dual disillusionment regarding "the economic development of our region" and also "the issue of security." "We are at the heart of one of the largest forest areas. Having these relays in terms of air resources would have allowed for a certain responsiveness in responding to fires," he declares.

For the elected representatives of the Landes departmental majority, this issue "would have deserved a little less communication and a little more seriousness." A matter that inevitably takes on political overtones. The departmental councilor criticizes the mayor of Mont-de-Marsan: "He recently took his little car to Biarritz to have his photo taken with Mr. Retailleau. He quickly shared all this, but he must have forgotten to ask him." A bitterness that will not fade in the face of a decision that reduces the resources in the fight against fires to be "up to the challenges."

Contacted by our editorial team, Charles Dayot, the mayor of Mont-de-Marsan, "does not have enough information to react in the current state of affairs." He continued: "The Sdis is administered by the departmental council, and it is their primary responsibility to deal with the ministry on this matter. The Sdis knows it can count on the City of Mont-de-Marsan to support it, which we have done even more extensively this year." A subject that should also prompt a reaction very quickly from Geneviève Darrieussecq, the Landes MP and former colleague of... Bruno Retailleau and Gérald Darmanin.