\u201cThe persistent Russian threat to our continent, with an open war […] remains my primary concern in terms of military preparedness,\u201d Fabien Mandon, the army\u2019s chief of staff, told a parliamentary defence committee on Thursday.<\/p>\n
He said Russia<\/a> had 1.3 million soldiers in 2025 and could reach 1.9 million by 2030.<\/p>\n Mandon also said the number of Russian heavy tanks could rise from 4,000 in 2025 to 7,000 by 2030, while the navy would keep between 230 and 240 combat ships.<\/p>\n Iran ‘weakened but dangerous’ as US air defence stocks face strain<\/a><\/p>\n Spending hike<\/p>\n His comments came after the government presented its update to the Military Programming Law<\/a> at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.<\/p>\n The plan includes an extra \u20ac36 billion in defence spending for 2024-2030, on top of the \u20ac413 billion already set out for the period.<\/p>\n The increase will be put to a vote in July and will focus on building up ammunition stockpiles, including drones,\u00a0strengthening air defence and speeding up development of long-range artillery.<\/p>\n The revised plan would raise defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by the end of the decade, up from about 2 percent now.<\/p>\n Drawing on lessons from the wars in Ukraine<\/a> and Iran<\/a>, the plan places strong emphasis on stockpiling arms and ammunition. Stocks are expected to rise sharply across several types of weapons, including drones, missiles, artillery shells and torpedoes.<\/p>\n It also includes studies for a new conventional ballistic missile<\/a> with a range of up to 2,500 km, alongside upgrades to cruise missiles.<\/p>\n Air and missile defence will receive an extra \u20ac1.6 billion to speed up delivery of surface-to-air missile systems and expand anti-drone measures on land, at sea and around key sites.\u00a0Drone<\/a> and robotic warfare will receive another \u20ac2 billion.<\/p>\n By 2030, defence spending is set to reach \u20ac76.3 billion, up from \u20ac47.2 billion in 2024.<\/p>\n Ukraine to test French-Italian alternative to US Patriot missiles<\/a><\/p>\n Forces unchanged<\/p>\n French defence officials said the overall size of the armed forces would remain unchanged. The military will keep 210,000 active personnel, 225 combat aircraft and 15 top-tier frigates.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are in a period of danger. We should not provoke anxiety, but simply raise awareness, because we need this defence investment,\u201d Mandon said.<\/p>\n On Thursday, the Kremlin<\/a> rejected the concerns he raised.<\/p>\n \u201cRussia poses no threat to any country [\u2026] that in no way plans to undermine the security of the Russian Federation,\u201d government spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the French news agency AFP.<\/p>\n Earlier in the week, Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin said France<\/a> had already ordered 10,000 small drones.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will have 5,000 as early as this year,\u201d she said. \u201cThe government\u2019s responsibility is to anticipate and provide very concrete responses to prepare our country.\u201d<\/p>\n