Sixty years ago, on October 8, 1964, for the first time, France implemented airborne deterrence with the Mirage IV pair and the nuclear gravitation bomb. Since then, the means have been adapted to technological, geopolitical and operational developments. The Rafale Bs now carry nuclear missiles and constitute the visible part of French deterrence.
Since the first alert on the base of Mont de Marsan on October 8, 1964, the strategic air forces are one of the keystones of French deterrence. The role of the Air Force is certainly inseparable and complementary to the oceanic component, the ballistic missile-launching submarines, but in the eyes of General Jean-Patrice Le Saint who, this summer, left his post as Chief of Staff of the Strategic Air Forces, airborne deterrence, has very specific advantages: “The first asset is the weapon. And the weapon today is a cruise missile, the asmp-AR for improved and renovated medium-range ground air. This is a missile that is extremely fast… extremely maneuverable. It is a missile that is extremely precise. The second advantage of the airborne component is that it is implemented from air bases which are visible infrastructures, which allows, within the framework of the nuclear dialectic that the President of the Republic would initiate, to fully materialize its intention.
Istres, Avord, Saint-Dizier: the triad of nuclear air bases
From the bases of Istres, Avord and Saint-Dizier, more than 2000 airmen are responsible for implementing air deterrence, the nuclear component which can be seen according to President Hollande’s formula. Because if it is impossible to recall a ballistic missile, the reversibility of an air raid is always an option, up to a certain point. “From the moment when the plane raid of the Strategic Air Forces is engaged, the crews will continue the mission to the end, continues General Le Saint. But up to this point in the engagement, it is possible to recall the raid. And so, when we see today the extension of the means of transmission and the capacities of our vectors, the Rafales associated with tanker aircraft A330 MRTTit is possible to make it travel several thousand kilometers before committing it. And the fact that there is the raid in transit is still a fairly strong signal, which, one can imagine, encourages reflection. »
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Credibility at the heart of nuclear deterrence
A strong signal based on credibility is the very heart of the concept of deterrence, insists Jean-Patrice Le Saint, “This credibility has three dimensions, a first political dimension which is embodied by the President of the Republic, he is the holder of nuclear fire. The second part is technological credibility and this credibility is what actually guarantees that we are able to design, manufacture and deploy weapons that are reliable and safe and that we know how to use them. pass through opposing defenses to reach their explosion point. The third aspect is that of operational credibility. And there is a point that is important, because credibility cannot be decreed. On the other hand, there are certain parameters which make it possible to objectify credibility. We are credible because the crews of the Strategic Air Forces are very trained, extremely seasoned, because they conduct, and often in an ostensible manner, maneuvers, Poker operations which, four times a year, involve around fifty people in an extremely realistic scenario. of planes in the simulation of a nuclear raid.
Moreover, during each Poker exercise, the spy satellites of the great powers point their antennas towards France to observe the maneuver and measure the credibility of French deterrence. A scenario that has been repeated for sixty years now.