On Monday, France will reveal how it might deploy the EU’s sole nuclear arsenal to defend the continent in an unpredictable world where the US is retreating and Russia is growing more assertive.
Following the start of US and Israeli attacks against Iran in a campaign that could destabilize the Middle East, French President Emmanuel Macron gave a speech at France’s Ile Longue nuclear submarine base.
“What we are experiencing demonstrates that in the world to come, power and independence will be two indispensable forces for dealing with the proliferation of threats,” said a member of Macron’s team.
Macron is set to update France’s nuclear doctrine as Russia’s war against Ukraine grinds into a fifth year and NATO allies worry about Washington’s wavering commitment to Europe.
“There will undoubtedly be some significant shifts and developments,” a source said of the speech set to be delivered from 1415 GMT Monday.
European countries are increasingly discussing whether to strengthen their own atomic arsenals, as they have depended on the US nuclear deterrence throughout the Cold War and in the decades after it ended.
Paris has been discussing how France may utilize its atomic arsenal to help defend the continent with nations like Germany and Poland.
Macron stated last year that he was prepared to talk about the potential use of French aircraft equipped with nuclear bombs in other European nations.
In February, Macron stated that he was thinking about a doctrine that may involve “shared security interests, joint exercises, and special cooperation with certain key countries.”
France maintains the world’s fourth-largest nuclear arsenal, estimated at around 290 warheads. Britain, which is no longer a member of the EU, is the only other European nuclear power.
By contrast, the United States and Russia, the world’s two main atomic powers, have thousands of nuclear warheads each.
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