France will expand its nuclear arsenal and strengthen cooperation with European allies

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday that France will increase the size of its nuclear arsenal for the first time in decades and will deepen cooperation on deterrence with eight European countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland, in what he described as a “major reinforcement” of French strategic doctrine.

In a speech delivered from the nuclear submarine base of Île Longue, in Brittany, the president justified the decision by the current international context, marked by the Russian war against Ukraine, the increase in China's military power and recent changes in the United States defense strategy. As he said, Europe must assume greater responsibility for its own security in the face of a period of “geopolitical upheaval”

and growing risks.

Macron confirmed that he has ordered an increase in the number of French nuclear warheads, currently estimated at 290, a figure that has been stable since 1992, although he did not specify how many will be added or the expected timetable. France has the fourth largest nuclear arsenal in the world, behind Russia, the United States and China. The president insisted that the measure does not constitute an arms race, but rather an update necessary to maintain the credibility and destructive capacity of national deterrence

.

The head of state stressed that the ultimate decision on the use of nuclear weapons will remain exclusively French. “The definition of our vital interests is sovereign,” he stressed, ruling out any formula of co-management

with other countries.

However, he announced the gradual implementation of an “advanced deterrence” strategy that could include the deployment of French strategic assets, such as Rafale warplanes with nuclear capacity, in the territory of allied countries. Talks on this enhanced cooperation have already started with the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden and Denmark

.

The objective, he explained, is to extend the French deterrent presence on the continent to hinder the strategic calculations of potential adversaries. The new doctrine also provides for the conventional participation of allied forces in activities linked to French deterrence, such as joint exercises and visits

to strategic facilities.

In parallel, France and Germany announced the creation of a high-level nuclear steering group to coordinate joint initiatives. Both countries stressed that this mechanism will complement, and not replace, NATO's nuclear deterrence

.

With this initiative, France reinforces its role as the only nuclear power in the European Union and seeks to consolidate a more autonomous continental security architecture, while maintaining sovereign control over its deterrence force.