To counteract contemporary dangers such as Russia's involvement in the conflict in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron has outlined extensive plans to significantly strengthen the country's armed forces.
According to what he claimed, the budget for the subsequent seven years, which would begin in 2024 and end in 2030, would rise from €295 billion to €413 billion.
He addressed the soldiers at the Mont-de-Marsan airbase in the southwest of France that France's military forces first needed to be repaired and restocked, and then they needed to be transformed.
"We can't just do more of the same thing; instead, we need to do things better and in a different way."
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has led Western nations to reevaluate their military spending, which has resulted in many cases in a large rise.
In the meantime, the Kremlin has proposed increasing the number of active-duty soldiers from 1.15 million to 1.5 million. This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that because of the strength of Russia's defense sector, he has no doubts that Russia will emerge victorious in Ukraine.
Since Russia has invaded Ukraine, there are no longer any "peace dividends" to be had as a result of the end of the Cold War; therefore, the goal is to renew a military that protects France's freedom, security, prosperity, and place in the world. This admission was made by President Macron on Friday.
An increase in the budget for military intelligence of 60% is one of the most important aspects of his reforms, along with responding to conflicts of "high intensity" by investing in drones, cyber-defense, and enhanced air defenses.
He issued a stern warning, "We need to be one conflict ahead."
The failure of France's chief of military intelligence, General Eric Vidaud, to predict the Russian invasion that took place in February of last year lost him his job. At the time, the head of the armed forces confirmed that intelligence agencies in the United States and the United Kingdom had accurately analyzed the situation.
In recent weeks, France has increased the amount of military assistance it is providing to Ukraine. The country plans to send AMX-10 RC "light combat tanks," but the supply of weapons that it is sending to Kyiv is seen as being behind that of other European allies.
An anti-jihadist campaign that France had been running in the Sahel region of Africa for the previous eight years was declared a failure by the French government just a year ago.
French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that his country would need to reevaluate its alliances to maintain its position as a leader in Europe, continue to be a dependable member of NATO, and strengthen its connections with Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain.
The conflict in Russia has caused a shift in defense priorities across Europe; as a result, Sweden and Finland have both announced plans to significantly boost their military spending as part of their application to join NATO. The nations that are a part of the Western military alliance have agreed to allocate at least 2% of their economic output to defense spending beginning in 2024.
In the days immediately following the invasion in February 2022, Germany committed to allocate an additional €100 billion of the budget to the armed forces.
Under the former leadership of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, the United Kingdom committed in June to raise spending to 2.5% of GDP.
Because of what Prime Minister Kishida Fumio warned was the "most severe and complicated security situation since World War II," Japan approved a significant increase in its defense budget last month. It specifically mentioned the dangers posed by China and North Korea.
