France to Pump Up Nuclear Arsenal and May Station Warheads on UK Soil
In a staggering announcement, President Emmanuel Macron declared France’s first nuclear arsenal boost since the 1990s. Even more sensational: French nuclear jets could soon be based in the UK as part of a bold new “advanced deterrence” plan to tackle mounting European threats.
Macron’s Nuclear Overhaul Rocks Europe
From the secretive Île Longue submarine base in Brittany, Macron revealed a seismic shift in France’s nuclear stance. Under the new policy, French nuclear jets can temporarily deploy across nine European countries, including the UK, Germany, Poland, and Sweden.
Macron dubbed this collective shield an “archipelago of force” to confound enemies and upend their tactics. He confirmed an arsenal increase from around 290 warheads, though the exact new total remains hush-hush.
“There will be no sharing of the ultimate decision, its planning, or its implementation,” Macron stressed, affirming France’s exclusive control over its nuclear weapons.
UK and France Forge Stronger Nuclear Ties
Britain, a key member of the deal, is stepping up its nuclear cooperation with France. UK defence chiefs joined French strategic air force exercises this winter—the first-ever joint drill between Europe’s only two nuclear powers.
This builds on last year’s Northwood Declaration, allowing Paris and London to coordinate arsenals without merging command.
Europe’s Missile Tech Gets a Power Boost
Macron also unveiled a new UK-Germany-France project to develop next-gen long-range missiles called the European Long-Range Strike Approach (Elsa). The programme aims to counter Russia’s missile advances amid the fallout from collapsed arms treaties.
Calling the arms control landscape “a field of ruins,” Macron warned of threats from China’s nuclear surge and nuclear proliferation risks in Iran and North Korea.
UK Backs France’s Defence Push
A UK government spokesman welcomed the moves, praising the “concrete cooperation measures” from the Northwood Declaration and recent summit.
“The UK and France are determined to deter threats against Europe and will not bow to Russian nuclear bluster,” the spokesman said.
France also promises to deploy anti-drone and anti-missile defences to Cyprus after Iranian-made drone attacks on RAF Akrotiri. Full rollout details of the “advanced deterrence” strategy across Europe are expected soon.
