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Post-Brexit, France’s Macron Proposes EU Nuclear Doctrine

Post-Brexit, France’s Macron Proposes EU Nuclear Doctrine

President Macron: “The vital interests of France now have a European dimension.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47xjob-IL8o

Almost a week after the United Kingdom left the European Union, French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday unveiled a pan-European nuclear doctrine as part of country’s new military strategy. “The vital interests of France now have a European dimension,” he declared during the graduation ceremony at the French War College, l’Ecole de Guerre. Following Brexit, France is now the only nuclear power within the EU.

“Europeans must collectively realize that, for lack of a legal framework, they could find themselves rapidly exposed to the resumption of a conventional or even nuclear arms race on their soil,” the French President warned. “France will mobilize the most concerned European partners in order to lay the foundations for a common international strategy that we can propose in all the forums where Europe is active.”

The French announcement comes days after a senior member of Chancellor Angela Merkel CDU party, Johann Wadephul, called for Franco-German nuclear defense cooperation. Germany should “consider cooperation with France regarding nuclear weapons,” Johann Wadephul, who serves as the vice chairman of the CDU parliamentary group, told Der Tagesspiegel newspaper on Monday. Berlin “should be prepared to participate in the nuclear deterrent force with its own capabilities and means,” he added.

Despite these overtures, President Macron apparently doesn’t trust Berlin (or Brussels for that matter) with his nukes. Paris will retain full sovereignty over its nuclear arsenal, he asserted on Friday.

The TV network France24 reported the French president’s remarks:

In a much anticipated speech to military officers graduating in Paris, Macron called on EU member states to play a more direct role in halting a new nuclear arms race, saying they “cannot remain spectators” against a threat to the continent’s collective security.

“In the absence of a legal framework, they could rapidly face a new race for conventional weapons, even nuclear weapons, on their own soil,” said Macron.

Setting out his country’s nuclear strategy in a bid to show leadership a week after nuclear-armed Britain officially exited the EU, Macron highlighted how France sees its nuclear weapons as a deterrent against attacks from belligerent foes. (…)

He warned of “the possibility of a pure and unrestrained military and nuclear competition, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the end of the 1960s”.

“The vital interests of France now have a European dimension,” said Macron, circling back to his central message of a need for a more coordinated European defence policy.

European nations should also insist on being signatories of any new deal to limit the development of new intermediate-range weapons, he noted. “Let us be clear: if negotiations and a more comprehensive treaty are possible… Europeans must be stakeholders and signatories, because it’s our territory” that is most at risk.

The French nuclear offer to the EU comes at a prince, President Macron said. He wants the EU member countries to finance the maintenance and development of the French nuclear deterrence. “Why are they not ready to make defense a budget priority and make the necessary sacrifices, even as the risks are growing?” he asked.

Paris has allocated about €37 billion for its nuclear arsenal from 2019 to 2025, roughly 12 percent of the military budget for this period.

The French demand could explain why Germany, France, and other Western European countries are holding back on their agreed NATO contributions. Many EU members continue to fall short of their NATO spending pledge, amounting to 2 percent of their GDP.

President Macron’s proposed nuclear doctrine is in line with Brussels long-held dream of developing an EU army to further the bloc’s political aims. Brussels has long been dreaming of flexing its military muscle outside the framework of NATO and as a counterweight to America. “In the very long run, we will need a European army. Because we have to be credible when it comes to foreign policy,” the outgoing EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said in 2014. In August 2018, Germany laid out its vision for a EU ‘counterweight’ to the United States. In an article titled “Making Plans for a New World Order,” German Foreign Minister Mass called on the the EU to become “a cornerstone of the international order.”

The UK had historically been opposed to a centralized EU military commend. Following last week’s Brexit, there are signs that Brussels is now moving in that direction.

Talking to Italy’s Radio 24 in late January, EU Parliament President David Sassoli, suggested that the EU was moving towards “something that resembles a European army.” Assuring that the army under Brussels control will be a force for peace, he stressed: “We said ‘never again’ to war. So our army will never serve as a war instrument but rather as a support to the international community.”


[Cover image via YouTube]

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Comments

The United State must NEVER allow Germany nuclear weapons. They have proven time and time again not to be trusted with massive Armies and powerful weapons.

President Trump should use every tool in his quiver to stop an EU Army. This army would eventually used t ok subjugate the people of Europe and the Caucouses.

A Muslim nuclear army at that

    PrincetonAl in reply to gonzotx. | February 8, 2020 at 2:25 pm

    Excellent point. I was thinking where would they get a cohesive pan European force?

    But of course! From outside Europe.

      Virginia42 in reply to PrincetonAl. | February 10, 2020 at 9:48 am

      This is basically France making their nuclear policy “EU” policy. The French still have an independent nuclear deterrent, which is increasingly not very comforting.

    JusticeDelivered in reply to gonzotx. | February 8, 2020 at 2:43 pm

    I have made the point repeatedly that we need to make sure that Muslims do not get control of France’s nukes. So we either need to relieve France of those weapons, and if that fails it might be necessary to destroy their stockpile, including nuking it, if that is the only way to prevent Muslims from gaining control.

    When I was a kid and heard De Gaulle posturing, I always though his name was appropriate, in that he displayed staggering gall.

    Frances time came and then went, I am afraid, but hope not, that we might be on the same path.

    France was pathetic before they imported all those Muslims, today they are tragic.

      France probably already has a bunch of Muslims in sensitive security positions, because it would be “racist” to keep them out.

        notamemberofanyorganizedpolicital in reply to randian. | February 8, 2020 at 4:04 pm

        If you had to bet…….

        From reading expatiate Americans’ in France autobiographies I know they also dominate the building trades, roofing, electricians, etc. etc.

    That’s right: and europe has committed suicide, leaving its nuclear-armed corpse to islamists.

    Of course, the pedophiles and crooks of the EU will have been long gone, scooting off with their ill-gotten gains to the few safer places left in the free world.

I would see a European army as primarily used in Europe as a threat to freedom of people there, or for UN style peace keeping misadventures in virtue signaling …

You will have to get people to sign up for an army that does not defend their nation, but a concept, and to fight alongside people of other nations and languages.

Feels like it will either pull from existing national armies and be a UN/NATO peace keeping but under the EU (NGO envy) ….

… or a bunch of mercenaries pulled from nations that does Merkel and Macron’s will.

Should be interesting further step in the slow decay of Europe.

It’s time for the US to demand that Europe make a choice.

Either the EU is one country with multiple states meaning one leader and not several OR the EU goes back to what it was originally which was just trade and travel agreements.

Should get interesting to watch, if Brexit is a success, how many other country’s will decide to leave.
That’s why Brussels will do everything they can to torpedo the UK, to set an example of what happens when you step out of line and challenge the European swamp.

    notamemberofanyorganizedpolicital in reply to NGAREADER. | February 8, 2020 at 4:08 pm

    BREXIT is already a success.

    At the high point, the UK did no more than 20% of its business with mainland Europe. It’s greatly fallen since then.

    I remember getting coffee and a pastry in a Brighton, England
    bistro one summer. They seemed very proud that the pastry was from France.

    The UK don’t need no stinking froggie pastry! Snark.

So France thinks it’s the real super power of the EU and the rest of them are willing to pretend to believe it in order to get their greedy little hands on French nukes.

For peace.

Sure. That plan is going to work out just fine for everybody. What could possibly go wrong?

I remember French rifles….never fired, dropped once. It’s time for us to stop defending Europe. End NATO and bring our troops home.

“Macron highlighted how France sees its nuclear weapons as a deterrent against attacks from belligerent foes.”

Those foes are already inside France and are eating it alive.

France has nuclear weapons, but no way to deliver them. The Brits had a slightly smaller arsenal, and had good delivery systems.
France actually designs and builds world class weapons systems. Better than China, Germany, Sweden and India, about as good as Russia and Israel, better in some instances. Surely better constructed than Russia. However France cannot afford its own weapons. That is what this is about.

    The Drill SGT in reply to puhiawa. | February 8, 2020 at 8:39 pm

    They have 4, SSBN’s, each armed with 16, SLBM with a range of 10,000km. each SLBM is MIRV’d with up to 10, 100kt weapons

      A couple have issues, including poor seamanship.(not unique to the French, by any means). However the last one commissioned looks pretty good. BTW, by and large the modern French nuclear navy was designed to be utilized in conjunction with the Brits.

La merde va frapper le ventilateur.

The Friendly Grizzly | February 8, 2020 at 6:27 pm

An EU army. H’mm. What language will be the one for issuance of commands, orders, bulletins, etc?

Barry Soetoro | February 8, 2020 at 7:29 pm

The UK left the EU, not NATO. Sounds like Macron and Merkel are trying to justify a resurrection of the Continental Enlightenment, as evinced by the dysfunctional French Revolution and its equally dysfunctional progeny, such as Marxism and fascism.

I have always said that the only thing keeping Europe from another war is the US presence there. They will be at each within another generation or so. That is what socialists do.

It is a toss-up which is more untrustworthy–the Frogs or the Huns. Given Merkel’s
playing footsie with Putin on gas and the Chinks on 5g, the time has come to put a prohibitive tariff upon German cars and car parts. That should be sufficient to force them to platy ball with the U.S. or face a major economic depression.