If anyone can comment on the culture or actions of the French defense industry and military after WW2.

The defense industry was still too weak. France has benefited greatly from the largesse of the US Mutual Defense Assistance Act. Until the early 1960s , the vast majority of its heavy equipment was American.

Did they have any other plans after the second world war?

To do a short summary, France plans after WWII was to keep his influence over his former colonies, to stand against communist and the USSR and to increase military spending, to find the atomic bomb to modernize the military equipment until 1990 .

The French Forces in Germany rapidly change status from occupation force to protection of his ex-enemy. In the event of a Soviet invasion, up to 80 000 troops were stationed in West Germany until the early 1990s.

The Indochina war began a few months after the end of World War II France still deeply marked by WWII and the loss of his power have to confront anti-colonialist claims. Or Paris considers that his empire is one of the few assets enabling him to "take its place" wich lead to increase in defense spending, more troops were stationned in colonial hotspot such Corsica, Algeria and Indochina. For example in Indochina 115,000 men in 1947 all inclusive, 240,000 in 1954 over 260,000 in Indochina.

From 1954 to 1962, France is engaged in another war of decolonization, the war in Algeria. This country is considered an integral part of the country, not as a colony among others, the quota is massively deployed. The French army maintains a workforce of more than 400,000 troops on the ground a third of its workforce (In 1961, this represents more than 477,000 men with 33,000 officers), which also includes units of Muslim auxiliaries called "Harkis" (between 236,000 and 400,000

Can you help me understand what common attitudes towards the military were like among the populace at this time?

You can find below various polls of the french opinion: My sources are in french:

In 1949: Only 18% of french were againts NATO

In 1947: 37% believed that a war against USSR will come, 51% approve defense increase!

In 1952: 45% of french think if there was a war between US and USSR the country should not engage

In 1953: 52% of french dont really care of the various wars outside France

In 1957: Only 34% approve The war in Algeria

Sources in french:

Opinion publique et politique étrangère en France depuis 1945. Bilan des études menées en France. Pierre Guellin Link

L'opinion française et la guerre d'Indochine (1945-1954). Sondages et témoignages . Alain Russio

Link

Paul Marie de la Gorce, The French Army: A Military-Political History