France will expand its atomic arsenal and may deploy nuclear-armed aircraft to allied European countries for the first time, President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday as part of a broader plan to strengthen continental security.
Speaking at the Île Longue nuclear submarine base, Macron said eight European nations — including Germany, Poland, Sweden, Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, and Denmark — have agreed to participate in a new “forward” nuclear deterrence framework.
Under the proposal, some of these countries could temporarily host France’s “strategic air forces,” enabling them to operate across Europe to reinforce deterrence and complicate adversaries’ military calculations.
In a joint statement, France and Germany confirmed the creation of a nuclear steering group, stressing that the initiative would complement — not replace — NATO’s nuclear deterrence structure.
Macron emphasized that France would retain full sovereignty and control over its nuclear decision-making, even as allied forces may participate conventionally in nuclear-related exercises. He noted that the move comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions and aims to bolster Europe’s security architecture in a period of global instability.
