Macron will increase the nuclear arsenal and threatens to use it to protect France

ParisFaced with a turbulent geopolitical landscape, France is embarking on a nuclear rearmament program. President Emmanuel Macron has announced that the country will increase its nuclear commanders—Macron clarified that the number will not be made public—and will acquire a new, state-of-the-art nuclear submarine. The announcement is not directly linked to the new war in the Middle East: the French president has been preparing for this rearmament for months, aiming to protect France from countries like Russia in a new global environment fraught with "risks and threats," where the United States is no longer a reliable partner. "An increase in our arsenal is indispensable," the president declared on Monday in a speech from Île Longue (Finistère), the secret military base where France has its four submarines capable of launching nuclear weapons. For the president, the key is deterrence: "The essential thing is that no adversary can even consider the possibility of an attack against France without the certainty of suffering damage from which it could not recover."

Nevertheless, Macron has warned that he will use his nuclear arsenal if the country is attacked. "I will never hesitate to take the necessary decisions to protect our vital interests. No state, however powerful, could escape them. No country could rebuild itself," the President of the Republic stated in one of his harshest and most bellicose speeches ever delivered.

No official figures

In Europe, only France and the United Kingdom possess nuclear weapons. According to sources at the Élysée Palace, the country does not intend to enter into a nuclear arms race nor is it considering "nuclear battles" with other powers; rather, its aim is deterrence. "To be free, they must fear you," he explained. France currently possesses approximately 300 nuclear warheads, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. There are no official figures, and the president made it clear that he would not provide any figures on the French arsenal.

The French head of state also announced that he will share nuclear weapon protection with Europe, a project dubbed "advanced nuclear deterrence," but he made it clear that France will always have the final say: "The final decision rests solely with the President of the Republic," he warned. Macron indicated that other countries are already willing to work with France to increase Europe's nuclear protection, particularly Germany and the United Kingdom, but also six other countries, such as Poland and Sweden. The occupant of the Élysée Palace made no mention of Spain.

Nuclear exercises with other European countries

Details on how this nuclear protection would be shared with Europe are still unknown, but Macron has explained that he has offered other European countries the opportunity to participate in France's nuclear deterrence exercises. There could also be a deployment of its nuclear arsenal in other countries. France has nuclear submarines and aircraft but lacks land-based nuclear weapons. Joint exercises have never been conducted before, but British military personnel recently observed French maneuvers, and in fact, hours after his speech, Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz issued a joint statement announcing the creation of a high-level group to explore cooperation between the two countries on nuclear matters.