France must make “efforts cope with our tough times”, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, calling for an additional €36 billion for the country’s armed forces by 2030 to “accelerate our rearmament”.
Speaking at the Istres-Le Tubé Air Base in southern France, where he delivered his New Year’s address to the military, Macron said France needed to move faster.
“To be powerful in this brutal world, we must act faster and stronger,” he said.
Macron said an updated Military Programming Law for 2026-2030 would include the extra €36 billion to boost defence spending.
The current 2024-2030 Military Programming Law (LPM) provides €413 billion, which Macron said he wants parliament to adopt “by 14 July”.
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Rising defence budget
The delayed 2026 budget sets aside €57.2 billion for the armed forces, up 13 percent. It includes an extra €3.5 billion that was not planned under the current framework.
Macron last summer also called for another €3 billion spending surge in 2027.
He said the additional €36 billion was needed to “preserve the operational credibility of our forces” and to be ready for “a major engagement within three to four years”, amid concern over Russia’s threat to European security.
Macron said the money would fund “three main priorities”.
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Military priorities
He said the focus would include increasing ammunition stocks and strengthening troop readiness.
Macron said France also needed to strengthen sovereignty capabilities, including satellite-based early warning systems to detect long-range missile attacks.
He said France would also boost protection and strike capacity, with more air-defence systems, anti-drone measures and long-range drones.
As European nations increase defence spending, Macron renewed his call for defence contractors to raise production.
“We need to produce faster, in greater volume, with lighter and more innovative systems,” he said, warning firms could be “pushed out of the market”.
(with newswires)
