French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday declared a significant expansion of his country's nuclear capabilities, announcing an increase in the number of warheads in France's arsenal while unveiling an "advanced deterrence" framework involving eight European nations. Speaking at the Île Longue nuclear submarine base, Macron said the move was necessary to confront mounting threats, as Russia's war in Ukraine enters its fifth year and concerns grow over Washington's wavering commitment to European security.
"We must strengthen our nuclear capability in the face of multiple threats, and we must rethink our deterrence strategy within the European context, with full respect for our sovereignty," Macron said. He confirmed that France would no longer reveal specifics about its nuclear stockpile, which is currently estimated at approximately 290 warheads — making it the world's fourth largest. Britain remains the only other European state with nuclear weapons, though it is no longer part of the European Union.
Eight countries — Germany, Britain, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden and Denmark — have agreed to participate in the proposed advanced nuclear deterrent system. Under the arrangement, these nations would be able to host French strategic air forces, deployable across Europe to "complicate the calculations of our adversaries", according to Macron. The system could also involve "conventional participation of allied forces in our nuclear activities", building on recent joint military exercises with British forces.
Macron's address came in the wake of US and Israeli strikes on Iran, a campaign he warned could bring further instability to Europe's doorstep. "Already brings instability and may extend further to our borders, while Iran's nuclear and ballistic capabilities remain intact," he said. The French president has also pursued these measures amid fears that Marine Le Pen could assume power next year, potentially undermining European cooperation.
Since his previous nuclear doctrine speech in 2020, Paris has engaged in discussions with nations including Germany and Poland on leveraging France's nuclear capability for broader continental security. However, analysts Heloise Fayet of the French Institute for International Relations and Claudia Major of the German Marshall Fund of the United States cautioned that a unified European deterrence would demand a degree of political integration that remains impractical in the near term. Writing in Le Monde, they argued that Europe must craft a nuclear strategy "that is truly European and not a copy of the American model". "The first step is to stop leaving thinking about nuclear strategy to the United States," Fayet and Major said. "The era of strategic complacency is over."
The Île Longue facility is home to France's four ballistic missile submarines — Le Triomphant, Le Temeraire, Le Vigilant and Le Terrible — with at least one vessel permanently deployed at sea to maintain continuous nuclear deterrence.
