During his wishes to the armies pronounced this Friday, January 20 on the air base of Mont-de-Marsan in the Landes, Emmanuel Macron announced an increase in the budget of the armies by a third for the period 2024-2030, bringing the latter to 400 billion euros. Taking extra-budgetary revenue into account, it could reach 413 billion, a massive financial effort in the national defense tool. The budget of 295 billion euros over the period 2019-2025 had already put an end to years of budget cuts in the armies.
This speech took place while the war in Ukraine has highlighted weaknesses in the French military system for more than a year. “The Military Programming Law reflects the country’s efforts in favor of its armies […] these efforts will be proportionate to the dangers, that is to say considerable”, since everywhere in the world, “threats are multiple and aggregate” thus established Emmanuel Macron during his speech. “After having repaired the armies, we are going to transform them”, he therefore promised, assuring that “France has and will have an army in the face of the perils of the century”.
Massive investments in nuclear and intelligence
To carry out this transformation, it will be necessary “to privilege the speed of action and the rise in power, because we will not choose the conflicts which we will have to carry out”, affirmed the president. The objective according to Emmanuel Macron: “We must have a war in advance”, to “be ready for more brutal, more numerous and more ambiguous wars at the same time”, commented the president in front of an audience of senior officers.
These increases will notably serve the intelligence budget, which will increase by 60% over seven years. The budgets of the Military Intelligence Directorate (DRM) and the Defense Intelligence and Security Directorate (DRSD) will notably be doubled, he declared during his vows to the armies. Cyber capabilities will be “very significantly enhanced” to have a “first-class” capability.
With this new military programming law (LPM), the Head of State also wants to “strengthen our” nuclear deterrence, “an element that makes France a different country in Europe”. Efforts to modernize French nuclear deterrence, to which 5.6 billion euros in payment appropriations are devoted in 2023, will thus be continued.
Stand up to China and act with Europe
The Overseas Territories will also be the subject of additional investments in terms of equipment and staff, because the progress of the world puts many of these territories, particularly in the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, “in the front row possible confrontations of tomorrow”, underlined the President of the Republic. France must “have reinforced sovereignty forces to be able to give a claw to anyone who would like to attack our interests”, particularly in the Asia-Pacific, where China’s expansionist aims are worrying. worth the Elysée.
While the presidency assures that French capability needs will not be modeled on those of Ukraine, the country must on the other hand be able to act within a European framework, with or without NATO, which implies being able to deploy a joint capability of 20 000 men. It will also be a question of filling the gaps in the field of drones and prowling ammunition, or even investing in quantum and artificial intelligence. France also intends to strengthen its air defense capabilities by 50%, Emmanuel Macron said during his speech.
The LPM, whose new budget envelope will however be tempered by inflation and the explosion of energy costs, should be submitted to Parliament for a vote by the summer.