Macron to boost nuclear arsenal, involve European allies in doctrine change

France's Nuclear Doctrine Update and European Cooperation

Macron Announces Expansion of Nuclear Arsenal

PARIS, March 2 (Reuters) - France will increase the size of its nuclear arsenal and strengthen its deterrent, with an increasing risk of conflicts globally crossing the nuclear threshold, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday.

"We are currently experiencing a period of geopolitical upheaval fraught with risk," Macron said in a speech delivered from a submarine base in Brittany, adding that a "hardening" of the French deterrence model was needed.

European Allies to Participate in Nuclear Wargames

Increased Cooperation with Germany and Others

Unveiling the update to France's nuclear doctrine at a nuclear base on the Atlantic coast, Macron also said a "major" change would see more cooperation with European allies that have expressed interest, including Germany.

Germany but also Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark would be able to take part in French nuclear wargames, Macron said, although he made clear decision-making on nuclear strikes will remain solely in the hands of the French president.

Forward Deterrence Doctrine

The French leader added it would be possible to establish, under unspecified circumstances, strategic assets in other European countries that would be part of what he called a new "forward deterrence" doctrine.

Context: Europe's Nuclear Security Landscape

Reliance on the United States

Though France and Britain are both nuclear powers, most European countries rely primarily on the United States for deterring any potential adversaries — a decades-old pillar of transatlantic security.

Impact of U.S. Policy Shifts

Trump's Approach to Russia and European Allies

But Trump's rapprochement with Russia on the Ukraine war and his harsher posture towards traditional allies have rattled European governments.

(Reporting by Michel Rose and Inti Landauro; Editing by Richard Lough, Aidan Lewis)