{"id":3300,"date":"2023-01-20T18:29:01","date_gmt":"2023-01-20T18:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=3300"},"modified":"2025-10-18T12:09:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T11:09:23","slug":"macron-reveals-change-in-military-stance-as-war-returns-to-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/diplomatic-world\/macron-reveals-change-in-military-stance-as-war-returns-to-europe\/2023\/01\/20\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Macron reveals change in military stance as war returns to Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that France’s military strategy must strengthen the country as an independent and respected nuclear power by the end of the decade, escalating Russia’s war in Ukraine and other global consequences.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Europe<\/span> is<\/span> no<\/span> longer<\/span> protected<\/span> from<\/span> missile<\/span> and<\/span> drone<\/span> attacks,<\/span> and<\/span> we<\/span> need<\/span> to<\/span> consolidate<\/span> that<\/span> reality,”<\/span> said<\/span> Macron,<\/span> anchored<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> Mediterranean<\/span> military<\/span> base<\/span> in<\/span> Toulon,<\/span> where<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 24,000<\/span> troops<\/span> are<\/span> stationed.<\/span> He<\/span> talked<\/span> about<\/span> the<\/span> Dixmude<\/span> helicopter<\/span> carrier.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Macron<\/span> said<\/span> a<\/span> Russian<\/span> attack<\/span> on<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> “could<\/span> precede<\/span> a<\/span> broader<\/span> geopolitical<\/span> competition<\/span> and<\/span> could<\/span> result<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> future<\/span> that<\/span> we<\/span> don’t<\/span> have<\/span> to<\/span> accept<\/span> with<\/span> fatalism,”<\/span> and<\/span> said<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> country’s<\/span> defense<\/span> could<\/span> end<\/span> in<\/span> 2030.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>Macron<\/span> said<\/span> France<\/span> wants<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> “an<\/span> independent,<\/span> respected<\/span> and<\/span> agile<\/span> power<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> heart<\/span> of<\/span> Europe’s<\/span> strategic<\/span> autonomy”<\/span> with<\/span> strong<\/span> ties<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> Atlantic<\/span> Alliance.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>With<\/span> war<\/span> returning<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> European<\/span> continent,<\/span> France<\/span> wants<\/span> to<\/span> focus<\/span> on<\/span> building<\/span> the<\/span> defense<\/span> capabilities<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> European<\/span> Union,<\/span> a<\/span> bloc<\/span> of<\/span> 27<\/span> nations<\/span> that<\/span> still<\/span> relies<\/span> heavily<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> States<\/span> and<\/span> NATO<\/span> for<\/span> its<\/span> security.<\/span> “When<\/span> peace<\/span> returns<\/span> to<\/span> Ukraine,<\/span> we<\/span> must<\/span> consider<\/span> all<\/span> the<\/span> consequences<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> ‘new<\/span> security<\/span> architecture’<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> continent,”<\/span> Macron<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>He<\/span> argued<\/span> that<\/span> a<\/span> “reliable<\/span> and<\/span> up-to-date”<\/span> nuclear<\/span> deterrent<\/span> was<\/span> key.<\/span> France<\/span> is<\/span> the<\/span> only<\/span> country<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> EU<\/span> with<\/span> nuclear<\/span> weapons.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>President<\/span> Macron<\/span> was<\/span> flown<\/span> aboard<\/span> France’s<\/span> newest<\/span> nuclear<\/span> attack<\/span> submarine,<\/span> Suffren,<\/span> on<\/span> Wednesday<\/span> afternoon<\/span> and<\/span> was<\/span> scheduled<\/span> to<\/span> meet<\/span> with<\/span> members<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Navy’s<\/span> elite<\/span> command<\/span> later<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> day.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cOur<\/span> nuclear<\/span> arsenal,<\/span> by<\/span> its<\/span> very<\/span> existence,<\/span> contributes<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> security<\/span> of<\/span> France<\/span> and<\/span> Europe.<\/span> In<\/span> a<\/span> rare<\/span> public<\/span> comment<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> matter<\/span> recently,<\/span> President<\/span> Macron<\/span> hinted<\/span> that<\/span> a<\/span> possible<\/span> Russian<\/span> nuclear<\/span> ballistic<\/span> attack<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> region<\/span> would<\/span> not<\/span> involve<\/span> a<\/span> nuclear<\/span> response<\/span> from<\/span> Paris.<\/span> The<\/span> French<\/span> doctrine<\/span> is<\/span> “based<\/span> on<\/span> what<\/span> we<\/span> call<\/span> the<\/span> fundamental<\/span> interests<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> state in<\/span> such<\/span> a<\/span> situation<\/span> you<\/span> are<\/span> in<\/span> no<\/span> danger<\/span> at<\/span> all,”<\/span> he<\/span> told<\/span> French<\/span> television<\/span> last<\/span> month.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Macron<\/span> also<\/span> argued<\/span> that<\/span> Europe’s<\/span> commitment<\/span> to<\/span> security<\/span> would<\/span> strengthen<\/span> the<\/span> Atlantic<\/span> Alliance.<\/span> France<\/span> deployed<\/span> over<\/span> 1,000<\/span> troops<\/span> mostly<\/span> in<\/span> Romania<\/span> and<\/span> Estonia<\/span> as<\/span> part<\/span> of<\/span> NATO’s<\/span> Rapid<\/span> Reaction<\/span> Force<\/span> following<\/span> Russia’s<\/span> invasion<\/span> of<\/span> Ukraine<\/span> on<\/span> Feb,<\/span> 24.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>France’s<\/span> new<\/span> strategic<\/span> document<\/span> provides<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> country<\/span> will<\/span> maintain<\/span> a<\/span> \u201ccapacity<\/span> to<\/span> lead<\/span> military<\/span> operations,<\/span> including<\/span> those<\/span> of<\/span> high<\/span> intensity,<\/span> alone<\/span> or<\/span> within<\/span> a<\/span> coalition.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>French<\/span> troops<\/span> will<\/span> maintain<\/span> their<\/span> large<\/span> presence<\/span> abroad<\/span> in<\/span> an<\/span> area<\/span> stretching<\/span> from<\/span> sub-Saharan<\/span> Africa<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> Middle<\/span> East,<\/span> through<\/span> the<\/span> Horn<\/span> of<\/span> Africa,<\/span> Macron<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>He<\/span> said<\/span> France<\/span> will<\/span> launch<\/span> talks<\/span> in<\/span> coming<\/span> days<\/span> with<\/span> its<\/span> African<\/span> partners<\/span> and<\/span> regional<\/span> organizations<\/span> to<\/span> make<\/span> changes<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> \u201cstatus,<\/span> format<\/span> and<\/span> missions<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> current<\/span> French<\/span> military<\/span> bases<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Sahel<\/span> and<\/span> West<\/span> Africa.\u201d<\/span> A<\/span> new<\/span> organization,<\/span> based<\/span> on<\/span> cooperation<\/span> between<\/span> French<\/span> and<\/span> local<\/span> armed<\/span> forces,<\/span> will<\/span> be<\/span> finalized<\/span> withing<\/span> six<\/span> months<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> discussions,<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Macron’s<\/span> speech<\/span> marks<\/span> the<\/span> formal<\/span> end<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> so-called<\/span> Barkhane<\/span> force<\/span> after<\/span> France<\/span> withdrew<\/span> its<\/span> troops<\/span> from<\/span> Mali<\/span> earlier<\/span> this<\/span> year<\/span> following<\/span> tensions<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> ruling<\/span> military<\/span> regime.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>French<\/span> operations<\/span> to<\/span> help<\/span> fighting<\/span> Islamic<\/span> extremists<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Sahel<\/span> region<\/span> are<\/span> focusing<\/span> on<\/span> Niger,<\/span> Chad<\/span> and<\/span> Burkina<\/span> Faso,<\/span> where<\/span> the<\/span> country<\/span> has<\/span> about<\/span> 3,000<\/span> troops.<\/span> France<\/span> must<\/span> be<\/span> able<\/span> to<\/span> actively<\/span> promote<\/span> that<\/span> action,<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span> Therefore,<\/span> a<\/span> sizeable<\/span> budget<\/span> would<\/span> be<\/span> allocated<\/span> to<\/span> what<\/span> he<\/span> called<\/span> the<\/span> government-coordinated<\/span> “influence”.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Among<\/span> other<\/span> strategic<\/span> goals,<\/span> France<\/span> wants<\/span> to<\/span> contribute<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> stability<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Indo-Pacific<\/span> and<\/span> ensure<\/span> freedom<\/span> of<\/span> action<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> “global<\/span> common<\/span> space”,<\/span> including<\/span> the<\/span> deep<\/span> sea,<\/span> high<\/span> seas,<\/span> outer<\/span> space<\/span> and<\/span> cyberspace.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A<\/span> bill,<\/span> due<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> debated<\/span> in<\/span> parliament<\/span> early<\/span> next<\/span> year,<\/span> will<\/span> provide<\/span> budget<\/span> details.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that France’s military strategy must strengthen the country as an independent and respected nuclear power by the end of the decade, escalating Russia’s war in Ukraine and other global consequences.\u00a0 “Europe is no longer protected from missile and drone attacks, and we need to consolidate that reality,” said Macron, anchored […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[2480,2482,9924,24,280,2425],"tags":[403,433,857,858,859],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/FRANCE.jpg","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3300"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3300"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3303,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3300\/revisions\/3303"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}