French president Emmanuel Macron presided over his last Bastille day military parade as president. This edition showcased over 6,000 troops, including 500 from the coalition of the willing. France’s rearmament and Europe’s strategic autonomy on full display. The event aims to show the US president and Russia’s Vladimir Putin that Europe is united and stands ready to defend itself. For more, FRANCE 24 spoke to Paul Smith, head of Modern Languages, university of Nottingham.