In a much-publicized speech given at the Ile Longue military base in Brest, which is the headquarters of the four submarines that constitute the French strategic nuclear deterrent, Emmanuel Macron presented his proposed “extension” of the French “force de frappe” to other countries.
Those who know the history of the French nuclear deterrent, know that De Gaulle was explicit about the fact that this “force de frappe” was uniquely created for the defense of the vital interests of France and could only be triggered by the French president in that context.
If this role was perfectly defined by De Gaulle, each newly elected president of France is put under heavy pressure by neighboring countries to admit them under its protective nuclear umbrella. And successively, Mitterrand, Chirac, and now Macron, have made torturous proposals to take steps in that direction, although committing themselves not to put into question its “sovereign” nature. Neither Mitterrand nor Chirac made concessions on this question. Will Macron follow their path? That is the question.
What did Macron say in Brest? In his speech in Brest, Macron has gone much further than his two predecessors, announcing the “gradual implementation of advanced deterrence,” and offering European allies the opportunity to “participate in French nuclear deterrence exercises.” Eight European countries (Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Sweden) have so far agreed to participate in this “forward deterrence” proposed by France. These countries will host the French Rafale strategic nuclear air fighter, with the idea, according to Macron, that this will enable the force de frappe to “spread in the depth of the European continent,” a situation comparable to that of the U.S., which deploys its nuclear weapons to a number of European bases.
This collaboration “may also involve reporting, including beyond our strict borders, or the conventional participation of allied forces in our nuclear activities. Finally, it may provide for the deployment of strategic forces among our allies,” said Macron (something which the U.S. already does, we add).
The other new concept developed by Macron is “strategic support.” Advanced deterrence is also part of a strategy of “strategic support” for nuclear forces through strengthened conventional capabilities at the European level. Three areas have been identified as priorities for managing escalation below the nuclear threshold: “early warning, i.e., the ability, through a combination of satellites and radars, to detect and track missiles that could target us; 2) control of our airspace with expanded air defense, anti-missile and anti-drone protection; and finally 3), deep strike capabilities.”
