{"id":226966,"date":"2026-03-03T16:09:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T16:09:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/?p=226966"},"modified":"2026-03-03T16:09:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T16:09:26","slug":"macron-says-france-will-allow-temporary-deployment-of-nuclear-armed-jets-to-european-allies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/macron-says-france-will-allow-temporary-deployment-of-nuclear-armed-jets-to-european-allies\/","title":{"rendered":"Macron says France will allow temporary deployment of nuclear-armed jets to European allies"},"content":{"rendered":"

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Monday, March 2, that France will increase its nuclear arsenal and, for the first time, allow the temporary deployment of its nuclear-armed aircraft to allied countries, in a new strategy aimed at strengthening Europe\u2019s independence, according to the Associated Press<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

France has been the only nuclear power in the European Union since Britain\u2019s exit from the bloc in 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be free, one needs to be feared<\/em>,\u201d Macron said at a military base at L\u2019Ile Longue in northwestern France that hosts the country\u2019s ballistic missile submarines.<\/p>\n

Macron said the new posture could \u201cprovide for the temporary deployment of elements of our strategic air forces to allied countries<\/em>,\u201d but said there would be no sharing of decision-making with any other nation regarding the use of the nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n

Talks about such deterrence cooperation have started with Britain, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden and Denmark, Macron said.<\/p>\n

France also will allow partners to participate in deterrence exercises and allow allies\u2019 non-nuclear forces to participate in France\u2019s nuclear activities, said Macron, who is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces under the French constitution.<\/p>\n

European partners welcomed the strategy. In a joint statement, Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the two countries would deepen integration in deterrence starting this year, \u201cincluding German conventional participation in French nuclear exercises and joint visits to strategic sites<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a letter to Dutch lawmakers, Defence Minister Dilan Yesilg\u00f6z-Zegerius and Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said the Netherlands was in strategic talks with France on nuclear deterrence as \u201ca supplement to, and not a replacement for, NATO\u2019s collective defence and nuclear deterrence capabilities<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X<\/em> that \u201cwe are arming up together with our friends so that our enemies will never dare to attack us<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Increasing warheads<\/strong><\/p>\n

Macron also announced that France will increase its number of nuclear warheads from the current level of below 300, but did not give a figure for the increase. It will be the first time France increases its nuclear arsenal since at least 1992.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have decided to increase the numbers of warheads of our arsenal<\/em>,\u201d Macron said. \u201cMy responsibility is to ensure that our deterrence maintains \u2013 and will maintain in the future \u2013 its assured destructive power<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we had to use our arsenal, no state, however powerful, could shield itself from it, and no state, however vast, would recover from it<\/em>,\u201d Macron said.<\/p>\n

European leaders have voiced growing doubts about U.S.\u2019 commitments to help defend Europe under the so-called nuclear umbrella, a policy long intended to ensure that allies \u2013 particularly NATO members \u2013 would be protected by American nuclear forces in the event of a threat.<\/p>\n

Macron said that recent changes in U.S.\u2019 defence strategy amid the emergence of new threats have demonstrated a refocusing of American priorities and have encouraged Europe to take more direct responsibility for its own security. He said Europeans should take their destiny more firmly into their hands.<\/p>\n

Last month, Merz said he\u2019d had \u201cinitial talks<\/em>\u201d with Macron on the issue and had publicly theorized about German Air Force planes possibly being used to carry French nuclear bombs.<\/p>\n

France and Britain also adopted a joint declaration in July that allows both nations\u2019 nuclear forces, while independent, to be \u201ccoordinated<\/em>.\u201d The U.K., no longer an EU member but a NATO ally, is the only other country in Western Europe with a nuclear deterrent.<\/p>\n

Macron has consistently insisted any decision to use France\u2019s nuclear weapons would remain only in the hands of the French president.<\/p>\n

Disarmament campaigners express criticism<\/strong><\/p>\n

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, which won the Nobel Peace Prize<\/em> in 2017, said Macron\u2019s plan could cost billions of dollars, jeopardize France\u2019s international commitments and lead some countries to interpret it as a major provocation that could risk escalation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are indiscriminate weapons that are banned under the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons<\/em>,\u201d said the group\u2019s executive director, Melissa Parke. \u201cThis announcement from French President Macron is a direct threat to the peace and security of the region, and the world.<\/em><\/p>\n

France already spent $6 billion on its nuclear weapons in 2024 and it is unclear how much this unexpected increase will add to that exorbitant sum. This is not progress, it\u2019s a nuclear arms race that no one can afford<\/em>,\u201d Parke said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

yogaesoteric
\nFebruary 3, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Monday, March 2, that France will increase its nuclear arsenal and, for the first time, allow the temporary deployment of its nuclear-armed aircraft to allied countries, in a new strategy aimed at strengthening Europe\u2019s independence, according to the Associated Press. France has been the only nuclear power in the European […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1090],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-226966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-censored-news-military-5127-en-censored-sensational-news-3480-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=226966"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":226971,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226966\/revisions\/226971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=226966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=226966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=226966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}