President Macron’s “advanced deterrence” will be a nuclear security relationship with key allies distinct from NATO agreements.
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France will increase the number of its nuclear warheads and allow the temporary deployment of its nuclear-armed aircraft in eight European countries to strengthen the continent’s security.
His speech at France’s Ile Longue nuclear submarine base on Monday introduced the idea of “advanced deterrence,” a deeper, more structured nuclear security relationship with key European partners that he said was distinct from but complementary to NATO nuclear agreements.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
Macron’s speech, scheduled ahead of the escalating conflict in the Middle East, was aimed at calming European security concerns amid recurring tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump and growing fears of Russian aggression amid Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“We must strengthen our nuclear deterrent against multiple threats, and we must consider our deterrence strategy deep within the European continent, with full respect for our sovereignty,” Macron said.
“To be free you have to be afraid,” the president said in his speech.
The eight European countries that have agreed to participate in Macron’s plan include Germany, Britain, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden and Denmark.
They will be able to host French “strategic air forces”, which will be able to “deploy throughout the European continent” to “complicate the calculations of our adversaries”, he stated.
Macron announced the new measures because France’s allies are concerned that a possible victory for Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party in next year’s presidential election could undermine cooperation in Europe.
“An improvement of our arsenal is essential,” Macron said. “That is why I ordered an increase in the number of nuclear warheads in our arsenal.”
Macron also said France will no longer reveal figures on its nuclear arsenal, reversing past transparency practices.
A more ‘hardened’ world
Macron’s announcement came as he said the world is “hardening,” with “bolder” adversaries, more uncertain alliances and greater nuclear risks than in the past.
Russia is waging a “slow and cruel” war against Ukraine; China has embarked on rapid military development to catch up with the United States and now “manufactures more weapons than any other country”; and in Asia, India, Pakistan and North Korea are “rapidly expanding” their arsenals and strategic forces, Macron said.
Meanwhile, the Middle East is a source of constant instability for Europe, the French leader said, warning that a widening war between the United States, Israel and Iran risks spilling over to Europe’s borders.
“This is not about entering into any kind of arms race… The essential point, as I said, is that no adversary, or any combination of adversaries, should be able to contemplate the possibility of an attack against France without the certainty of suffering damage from which it would not recover,” Macron said.
France maintains the world’s fourth-largest nuclear arsenal, estimated at around 290 warheads. It has not increased its arsenal since at least 1992. Britain, no longer a member of the European Union, is the only other European nuclear power.
In contrast, the United States and Russia, the world’s two main atomic powers, each have thousands of nuclear warheads.
