STUTTGART, Germany — Seven months after President Emmanuel Macron announced the launch of a new “war economy” in France, he has unveiled plans to spend hundreds of billions of euros on defense investments that will “transform” the military over the next decade.
The nation’s next six-year military programming law — known in French as “loi de programming militaire,” or LPM — will shape the nation’s defense spending between 2024 and 2030. Taking into account the current geopolitical circumstances and technological developments, Macron will request an investment of 400 billion euros ($433.4 billion) for the 2024-2030 LPM, he announced in a speech on Friday at the Mont-de-Marsan national airbase in south-west France.
If enacted, that total would represent a 35% increase from the current LPM of $295 billion.
The LPM’s current directive for 2019-2025 was simple: “Repair our armies,” Macron said. As these efforts have progressed and are ongoing, the next LPM will enable France to “transform” its services to respond more quickly to global threats to its territories, he added.
With the proposed funds, France will strengthen and modernize its deterrent and “massively” increase its intelligence capabilities by at least 60%, including doubling the budgets of the country’s two main intelligence and security organizations, Macron claimed. Increased surveillance, particularly through unmanned aerial systems (UAS), is also a priority, along with doubling capacity to counter cyberattacks.
Macron also spoke of “hardening” the military’s current capabilities under the proposed plan, including moving the French Air Force to a 100 percent Rafale fighter fleet, away from the current mix of Rafales and Mirage 2000s, both from Dassault Aviation were built. He did not elaborate on how this transition might occur.
Other priorities include strengthening the capabilities and protection of French frigates, the ongoing modernization of their terrestrial systems, and strengthening their air defense and anti-submarine capabilities. He confirmed that France’s next aircraft carrier – known as PANG for porte-avion nouvelle generation – will be built under this budget and called for the development of new long-range guided munitions with a two-fold increase in funding.
Macron also pointed to the need for France to invest in quantum technologies and more seamlessly integrate drone and artificial intelligence capabilities into its services. He reiterated the need for France to invest in underwater technologies capable of reaching depths of 6,000 meters and announced plans to soon unveil a new “overseas strategy” that would support the country’s overseas territories, citing the Indo-Pacific region as the primary one potential area of application for future conflict.
In his Friday address, the President also urged the French defense industry to increase its efficiency and availability in manufacturing new capabilities. Production cycles need to be shortened and costs better controlled, he noted.
Despite the significant increase in funds over the previous law, the LPM 2024-2030 contains “no luxury, no pleasure, no comfort,” Macron claimed. “There is only the bare minimum.”
The proposal will be presented to the French parliament in the near future, he said, ahead of congressional debates expected in March and a vote by summer 2023.
Vivienne Machi is a reporter based in Stuttgart, Germany, and contributes to Defense News’ European coverage. She previously reported for National Defense Magazine, Defense Daily, Via Satellite, Foreign Policy and the Dayton Daily News. She was named Best Young Defense Journalist at the 2020 Defense Media Awards.