France has ordered hospitals to prepare for mass wartime casualties by March 2026, amid mounting NATO fears of an escalating conflict with Russia.
France has ordered its hospitals to prepare for the possibility of mass wartime casualties, instructing them to be ready by March 2026 to treat hundreds of wounded soldiers per day.
According to documents obtained by Le Canard Enchaîné, the plan assumes France could become a hub for battlefield victims from across Europe if NATO is pulled into direct conflict with Russia.
The French Ministry of Health said the order was aimed at ensuring hospitals can “anticipate, prepare and respond to the health needs of the population while integrating the specific needs of defense in the health field.”
Acting under NATO’s Article 5, any attack on an allied state could trigger a collective response, drawing in France, Britain, the US, and other European countries. Officials warned the system must also prepare for an influx of foreign patients.
The order comes as NATO intensifies preparations ahead of Russia’s Zapad 2025 exercises in Belarus, which some fear could mask military escalation.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has already warned of a scenario where Moscow strikes NATO territory while China moves on Taiwan, raising the specter of global conflict.
Across Europe, governments are reinforcing defenses, reviving conscription, and conducting evacuation drills as fears of World War Three grow.