` tags.
President Emmanuel Macron is considering broadening the scope of France’s strategic nuclear capabilities to include other EU nations.
President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday that France will upgrade a key air base near the German border to accommodate Rafale fighter jets equipped with nuclear cruise missiles.
The Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur base in eastern France previously housed nuclear weapons until 2011, when they were moved to another location.
“The Luxeuil air base is about to undergo a major upgrade and reclaim its central role in France’s nuclear deterrent,” Macron stated.
“By 2035, Luxeuil will be the first base to operate the next generation of the Rafale and its hypersonic nuclear missiles,” the president revealed. He added that the base’s personnel will double to almost 2,000 military and civilian staff to support two Rafale squadrons.
The government will invest €1.5 billion ($1.64 billion) to modernize the base and accelerate Rafale orders.
Macron alluded to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine that started in 2022 when he stated that France is in “an increasingly dangerous and uncertain world.”
This announcement follows a suggestion from Germany’s incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, that France might extend its nuclear protection to Germany and other EU members. Macron responded by indicating he would initiate a discussion on this possibility.
Russia has denounced the EU’s “militarization” efforts as reckless and escalating tensions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier this month that “confrontational rhetoric and confrontational plans that we are now seeing in Brussels and in European capitals could hamper finding a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.”