Le Pen promises to remove France from NATO military command if she wins

French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has promised that if she wins, France will leave NATO's military command, but will remain in the Alliance

She stated this on April 13 at a press conference in Paris.

"I want France to leave NATO's Joint Military Command. I will never agree to have our troops under NATO or European command. France must return to its status in the alliance from 1966 to 2009," she said.

France is one of the 12 founding members of NATO. It withdrew from Allied Joint Military Command in 1966, but remained part of NATO's collective defense. In 2009, Paris announced a return to full participation in NATO's military structures.