Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron is delivering a keynote speech Monday France’s nuclear deterrence policy, as his European allies express growing concerns over possible US disengagement and Russian threats.
France is the European Union’s only nuclear power and its deterrence doctrine relies on a strictly defensive strategy intended to safeguard the country’s “vital interests.” Macron has long maintained that those “vital interests” have a “European dimension.”
While France is a member of NATO, it maintains full independence over its nuclear forces while contributing to the alliance’s broader deterrence posture. Under the French Constitution, the president is commander-in-chief of the armed forces and the sole to decide on the potential use of nuclear weapons.
Here is a look at France’s nuclear capabilities, by the numbers:
1 warship
France’s aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is the only surface warship in Europe capable of carrying nuclear weapons deployed by Rafale fighter jets using catapult-assisted takeoffs.
The navy’s flagship has in recent weeks operated in the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea, making a stop in recent days in the Swedish port of Malmo.
Because the carrier undergoes lengthy periodic overhauls, France does not have a permanent sea-based air nuclear capability.
Macron confirmed in December that the country will build a new nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to replace the Charles de Gaulle by 2038.
4 submarines
France has four nuclear-armed submarines: Le Triomphant, Le Temeraire, Le Vigilant and Le Terrible (The Triumphant, The Fearless, The Vigilant, and The Terrible).
They are based in Ile Longue on the Atlantic coast, one of the nation’s most secretive military sites.
Each 138-meter (453-foot) submarine is operated by a crew of about 110 and can carry 16 M51 intercontinental ballistic missiles armed with multiple warheads.
Since 1972, at least one nuclear-armed submarine has been on patrol at all times, ensuring France’s permanent capacity to carry out a strike.
500 kilometres (310 miles)
The ASMPA air-launched cruise missile – short for enhanced medium-range air-to-surface missile – has an estimated range of about 500 kilometres (310 miles).
Launched by Rafale fighter jets, it is designed to serve as a final warning before any potential escalation to large-scale nuclear conflict.
The missiles are operated by the Strategic Air Forces, which was created in 1964 and is based at three sites across France. They can also be launched by jets operating from the Charles de Gaulle.
8,000 to 10,000 kilometres (5,000 to 6,200 miles)
The M51 submarine-launched ballistic missile has an estimated range of 8,000 to 10,000 kilometres (5,000 to 6,200 miles). The exact range has not been made public.
The upgraded M51 entered operational service in October and features improved accuracy and enhanced ability to penetrate missile defences, according to the French Defense Ministry. Each missile carries multiple independently targetable nuclear warheads.
290 warheads
France has an estimated 290 nuclear warheads, according to latest figures released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). Over 80 per cent of France’s warheads are submarine-launched, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
That makes France the world’s fourth-largest nuclear power after Russia (more than 4,300 warheads), the United States (about 3,700) and China (about 600). The United Kingdom – no longer an EU member but a NATO ally – is estimated to have about 225 warheads, according to SIPRI and FAS.
All five nations are nuclear-weapon states recognised under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
India, Pakistan and North Korea have acknowledged possessing nuclear weapons. Israel is widely believed to have them but has never publicly confirmed it.
Exact stockpile numbers are closely guarded state secrets.
Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. But it has in recent years been enriching uranium to up to 60 per cent purity – near weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent.
UN nuclear watchdog said it was unable to verify whether Iran has suspended all uranium enrichment, in a report seen Friday by The Associated Press before US and Israeli forces launched a major attack on Iran.
