Wise words on getting proficient in French as the BBC have just stated that a general commanding any joint force would have to speak both English and French. Having kicked around NATO for a while I suspect a lot more French generals speak english than vice versa. No surprises if requirement creep for this skill moves down teh rank scale! Also I believe that most French folk under 30 now take learning english very seriously, the view above that the 2 countries are the worst for learning a foreign language now, sadly, only applies to the country north of La Manche (IMHO).
PS Do we now need a smily wearing a beret??