President Emmanuel Macron made it clear that he will brook little dissent from subordinates in a standoff that climaxed Wednesday when the disgruntled French military chief quit over budget cuts — and was quickly replaced by a general seen as more "Macron-friendly." The unusual upheaval rattled the French military and deepened warnings about Macron's authoritarian tendencies. Macron replaced him with Gen. Francois Lecointre, a career military officer, as the new chief of staff of the armed forces, replacing Gen. Pierre de Villiers. Macron's office sought to play down tensions over de Villiers departure, even as French defense commentators described their dispute as a serious crisis. Without naming him directly, Macron upbraided de Villiers, saying to military officials: "It is not dignified to air certain debates in the public sphere.

Source: ABC News July 19, 2017 08:30 UTC