Macron to hike military funds amid Ukraine war, new threats
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday proposed to boost defense spending by more than a third through 2030 and to “transform" France's nuclear-armed military, to better face evolving threats and take into account the impact of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Macron announced a proposal for 413 billion euros (nearly $450 billion) in military spending for the period of 2024-2030, to ensure “our freedom, our security, our prosperity, our place in the world.”
That compares with spending of about 295 billion euros in a similar military plan for 2019-2025.
The money would notably go to modernizing France's nuclear arsenal, boosting intelligence spending by 60%, doubling the number of military reservists, reinforcing cyberdefense and developing more remote-controlled weapons.
“Nuclear deterrence is an element that makes France different from other countries in Europe. We see anew, in analyzing the war in Ukraine, its vital importance," he said in a speech to military personnel at an air base in Mont-de-Marsan in southwest France. France is the only member of the 27-nation European Union with nuclear weapons, and the bloc is still largely dependent on the U.S. and NATO for defense.
Macron also wants to expand French submarine surveillance capacity to depths of 6,000 meters (nearly 20,000 feet), both for military reasons and to protect critical infrastructure such as undersea cables carrying energy and information across oceans that have come under threat.
Friday's speech comes as defense officials from the U.S. and allies are meeting in Ramstein, Germany, to discuss further help for Ukraine.
Macron didn’t address Ukraine’s pleas to supply French Leclerc tanks — even after a tongue-in-cheek video released Thursday by Ukraine’s defense ministry vaunting the tanks as...
