Why did France leave NATO’s integrated military command in 1966?

In 1966, France withdrew from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s integrated military command primarily due to President Charles de Gaulle’s desire to restore French sovereignty and diplomatic independence.12

De Gaulle held several key objections to the alliance's structure:

• Opposition to U.S. Dominance: He criticized the organization for being dominated by the United States and argued that the integrated command structure subjected France to "automatic" war decisions made by foreign powers.12
• Reliability of Nuclear Defense: Following the advent of the missile age, de Gaulle doubted whether the U.S. would risk a nuclear attack on its own cities to defend Europe. Consequently, he prioritized developing an independent French nuclear deterrent, the force de frappe.2
• National Prestige: De Gaulle believed that a France without grandeur was not France at all, and he sought to reestablish the nation as a great power that did not fall under the sway of any other country.23

Despite this withdrawal, France remained a political member of the alliance and rejoined the integrated military command in 2009.14