- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Macron Pledges to Modernize France's Nuclear Deterrent Forces

© AP Photo / Francois Lenoir, Pool PhotoFrench President Emmanuel Macron arrives for an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017
French President Emmanuel Macron arrives for an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017 - Sputnik International
Subscribe
France is the third largest nuclear power in the world after Russia and the United States.

French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to modernize the two main components of the country's nuclear deterrent forces, while addressing the representatives of the country's armed forces on Friday.

"[France's capacity for deterrence allows it to preserve] the freedom of action and strategic autonomy… That is why I intend to modernize these two components, the complementariness of which cannot be doubted — the seaborne forces that protect us against any strategic surprise and the air-based component that is due to its visibility is a part of the dialogue on deterrence," Macron said as aired by the president's official Periscope.

READ MORE: UK, France Agree New Border Security Treaty — Official

Macron stressed that deterrence had remained the key aspect of the country's defense strategy for over the past 50 years. According to him, the French armed forces' response capacity would be maintained at the highest level. Macron announced that the budget of military operations would be increased from 400 million euros ($489.4 million) to 1.1 billion euros.

The French president indicated that the modernization would be applied to all military areas, including ground forces, aerospace divisions and the office responsible for countering cyber threats.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала