FILE - In this file photo taken on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2013, Russian air defense system missile system Antey 2500, or S-300 VM, is on display at the opening of the MAKS Air Show in Zhukovsky outside Moscow, Russia.(Photo: AP)

PARIS, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- French Defense Minister Florence Parly said Monday in her wishes to the French army that global strategic context is "tough, violent and moving" and that the arms race has "well and truly recovered".

"Every day the arms control regime seems to be weakening and proliferation is growing," Parly said, taking the U.S. withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty as an example.

According to the French minister, the areas of conflict are multiplying. "Everything becomes a pretext for the confrontation and each of our innovations and our technological progress multiply our possibilities, but expose us, too."

She noted that at a time when multilateralism and alliances are only ever needed, U.S. decisions are sometimes "unpredictable", and uncertainties weigh on the U.S. continued support for NATO, which remains the pillar of transatlantic collective defense.

Despite a picture that appears gloomy, there is also hope -- Europe's defense is progressing, she said.