Emmanuel Macron reveals bombshell plan to deploy French nukes in the UK | World | News
French nuclear-armed jets could be deployed in the UK as part of Emmanuel Macron’s expanded defense doctrine. “We must strengthen our nuclear deterrent in the face of multiple threats and consider our deterrence strategy deep within the European continent, with full respect for our sovereignty,” the French president said.
Announcing “the gradual introduction of what I call enhanced deterrence”, Mr Macron said France would allow the temporary deployment of elements of its strategic air forces, including nuclear-capable aircraft, to participating European countries, including the UK. The announcement builds on the Northwood Declaration signed by Paris and London in July, in which the two countries stated that their nuclear forces were independent but could be coordinated.
Mr Macron also used the symbolic setting of Île Longue, the country’s Atlantic nuclear stronghold in Brittany, to announce the first increase in France’s nuclear warhead stockpile since the 1990s. It is currently estimated that France’s arsenal is just under 300. As of 2025, the UK has a stockpile of approximately 225 warheads.
“Our strategic air forces will thus be able to spread across the European continent,” Mr. Macron said, describing a distribution “like an archipelago of forces” designed to “complicate the calculations of our enemies” and provide new strategic depth. Telegram.
Eight countries agreed to participate in the programme: the UK, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden and Denmark. Germany and Poland sought refuge under France’s nuclear umbrella and have no deterrent of their own; This means the jets are more likely to be deployed there rather than in the UK.
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During a state visit to the UK in July, Mr Macron and Sir Keir Starmer pledged to work “closer than ever” on nuclear deterrence.
In addition to nuclear coordination, Macron also said: “Regarding deep attack capabilities, Germany, Britain and France […] “We will work together on very long-range missile projects,” he said.
The tripartite effort, under the European long-range strike approach (Elsa) initiative, aims to develop new long-range conventional strike systems to counter Russia’s expansion of its missile arsenal. Mr Macron warned that an overhaul was necessary, given the collapse of global nuclear governance.
