Macron says France to increase its nuclear arsenal

DW News · Mar 2, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said France would be increasing the number of nuclear warheads in its arsenal. The French leader was speaking from L'Ile Longue military base that houses the country's nuclear submarines. France is the only nuclear power within the EU. Macron has spoken before about France acting as a nuclear deterrent for the bloc amid an increasingly unreliable partnership with the US. What did Macron say about France's nuclear arsenal? "An upgrade of our arsenal is essential," Macron said from the Brittany base. "We are currently experiencing a period of geopolitical upheaval fraught with risk." "That's why I ordered an increase in the number of nuclear warheads in our arsenal." "Whoever wants to be free must be feared. Whoever wants to be feared must be strong," he added. With around 290 nuclear warheads, France is the world's fourth-largest nuclear power after the US, Russia and China. However, Macron did not say by how many warheads the French arsenal would be expanded. Europe's nuclear rethink: Can France protect the continent?To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The change in France's nuclear doctrine includes more cooperation with European allies, such as Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark, Macron said. France currently has four nuclear-armed submarines, which can be hidden anywhere in the world's seas, and have a range of around 10,000 kilometers. It also possesses Rafale fighter jets that can launch cruise missiles with nuclear warheads at a range of around 500 kilometers. Why does France want to increase its number of nuclear warheads? The announcement comes amid increasingly public concerns over how much European powers can rely on the US so-called nuclear umbrella — a policy aimed at protecting US allies, particularly in NATO, from nuclear threats. France last added to its nuclear arsenal in 1992. Tensions with the US reached a peak earlier this year when US President Donald Trump appeared unwilling to back down from pushing his aspirations to take control of Greenland from EU and NATO member Denmark. Although he did eventually change course, European powers are becoming increasingly skeptical of Washington's aims, something that may last beyond Trump's time in office. Germany has also got in on the action, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz suggesting that German Air Force planes could be used to transport French nuclear bombs. Germany rethinks future of nuclear securityTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Edited by: Karl Sexton