The French military accidentally used real bullets [1] instead of blanks, during a demonstration this weekend, injuring 17 people, including three children.

The demonstration, intended to showcase hostage-freeing techniques, left a 3-year-old child in critical condition. Chief Bernard Lemaire said the soldier who fired the real bullets has been detained, as the apparent accident has not been ruled out as a criminal act. French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited victims at the Carcassonne hospital and promised punishment for the negligence.

In other French military news — Sarkozy now must face critics who claim he exchanged French independence for American domination by deciding to bring France back [2] under NATO's unified military command, 42 years after Charles de Gaulle pulled France out of full participation. The decision also raises questions about France's attitude toward a unified European Union military policy, separate from NATO.

Should Europe embrace NATO as its military future or pursue an America-free defense policy? As for the bullet incident, I hope the victims in critical condition pull through and the cause of the accident is avoided in the future.
Source [3]