Overview
- Speaking at the Île Longue submarine base, Macron said France will add nuclear warheads but will stop publishing stockpile figures, reversing past transparency.
- Paris outlined a European-facing ‘forward deterrence’ that could disperse nuclear-capable Rafale aircraft to allied territory during crises and expand joint exercises.
- France stressed there will be no shared launch authority or planning, with nuclear decisions remaining solely the French president’s prerogative and outside NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group.
- Macron said talks on deeper cooperation are underway with partners including Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden, Denmark and the U.K., complementing existing NATO arrangements.
- Separately, France joined the U.K. and Germany in backing actions to enable necessary and proportionate defense against Iranian missile and drone threats, as Paris bolsters its regional posture and disputes reports of diverting its carrier.