France will expand its nuclear arsenal and strengthen its deterrence strategy, French President Emmanuel Macron said on March 2, warning that growing geopolitical tensions are raising the risk of conflicts escalating to the nuclear level.
Speaking from the Île Longue submarine base in Brittany, Macron said the world was entering a period of heightened instability that required a stronger French nuclear posture.
“We are currently living through a period of geopolitical upheaval, fraught with risks, and our fellow citizens are fully aware of this. This period justifies a strengthening of our model,” he said, adding that France’s deterrence is robust and effective.
Macron said the risk of crossing the nuclear threshold had increased as conflicts involving nuclear-armed or proliferating states continued to rise, pointing to recent outbreaks of violence involving India and Pakistan, and Iran and Israel, as well as nuclear security concerns over Russia.
France’s nuclear capability remains the foundation of the country’s security policy, Macron said.
“If we were to use our arsenal, no state, however powerful, could escape it; and none, however vast, would recover,” he said.
France currently possesses about 290 nuclear warheads, according to a 2025 report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
The institute said that in 2024, France continued programs to develop a third-generation nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine and a new air-launched cruise missile, while also refurbishing and upgrading existing systems, including an improved ballistic missile with a new warhead modification.
Macron’s statements marked six years since he delivered a major address on nuclear deterrence to trainees of the French war college.
Macron said France’s nuclear strategy would continue to evolve and described a new phase that he called “advanced deterrence,” aimed at strengthening cooperation with European allies while preserving France’s independent decision-making authority.
“France will always assume sole responsibility, while taking into account the interests of our allies, for the deliberate crossing of the nuclear threshold,” he said.Franco-German Deterrence CooperationAlongside the expansion of France’s arsenal, Paris and Berlin announced new steps to deepen strategic cooperation on nuclear deterrence.
Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a March 2 joint statement that the two countries had agreed to establish a high-level nuclear steering group to coordinate doctrine and strategic exercises.
The group will provide a bilateral framework for dialogue on nuclear strategy and cooperation on integrating conventional forces, missile defense systems, and nuclear deterrence capabilities.
The joint statement said the initiative would include German participation in French nuclear exercises, visits to strategic military sites, and joint development of conventional military capabilities with European partners.
“We intend to take concrete steps before the end of this year, including conventional German participation in French nuclear exercises,” Merz said in a March 2 post on X.
French and German officials also said they would work together to strengthen Europe’s ability to manage “sub-threshold” nuclear escalation, including by improving early-warning systems, air defense capabilities, and precision-strike capacity.
The two countries described nuclear deterrence as a central pillar of European security.
According to the March 2 statement, Europe’s security framework relies on the extended nuclear deterrence provided by the United States, including American nuclear weapons stationed in Europe, as well as the independent nuclear forces of France and the UK.
Officials said the Franco-German initiative would complement existing NATO arrangements rather than replace them.
The two governments emphasized that the cooperation would remain consistent with their international obligations, including the Treaty on the Non‑Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.