France to boost defense spending by $39 billion through 2030

Investing.com -- France announced plans on Wednesday to increase defense spending by 36 billion euros ($39 billion) through 2030 under a revised military planning law that expands its nuclear arsenal and increases missile and drone stockpiles.

The updated 2024-2030 law would raise defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by the end of the decade from approximately 2% currently, with the annual budget reaching 76.3 billion euros in 2030, nearly double its 2017 level.

"The deep and brutal shift in the balance of international geopolitics forces us to go harder and faster," Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin wrote in a summary of the bill issued Wednesday. "France has acknowledged the global shift toward enduring and multidimensional conflict."

The draft law proposes an increase in the number of nuclear warheads while maintaining nuclear arms spending at approximately 13% of the overall defense budget. France currently spends roughly 5.6 billion euros ($6.0 billion) annually to maintain its stockpile of 290 submarine- and air-launched weapons, the world’s fourth-largest arsenal.

An additional 8.5 billion euros will be allocated for rebuilding stocks of artillery shells, air defense interceptors and long-range missiles.

The draft emphasizes deep-strike capabilities, with studies launched for a new conventional ballistic missile with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers, alongside cruise missile upgrades.

Air and missile defenses will receive additional funding of 1.6 billion euros to accelerate delivery of SAMP/T NG systems, co-produced with Italy, and expand counter-drone capabilities on land, at sea and around critical infrastructure.

Drone and robotic warfare will receive another 2 billion euros, including expanded naval and MALE capabilities, with plans to replace U.S.-made Reaper drones by 2035 and develop robots that dive to the ocean floor.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.