All posts tagged: Deterrence

Norway joins France’s nuclear deterrence club – POLITICO

Norway joins France’s nuclear deterrence club – POLITICO

“Russia’s largest nuclear arsenal is located in the High North, just a few kilometers from Norway,” he said, adding that Norway would continue to primarily rely on NATO for its security. On March 2, the French president announced that Germany, Poland, Greece, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden had agreed to discuss nuclear cooperation with Paris. That could include joint nuclear drills, information sharing and, ultimately, the potential temporary deployment of French nuclear-capable Rafale fighter jets in allied countries — a concept the French called “forward nuclear deterrence.” Since then, highly classified talks about exactly what the cooperation will entail have already begun with some nations, two officials told POLITICO. On Wednesday, Paris and Oslo also signed a wide-ranging bilateral defense and security deal — dubbed the Narvik agreement — that includes a mutual assistance clause, more dialogue between their armed forces and cooperation on air defense, space and Arctic security, Macron said. In the past few years, the French president has sought to increase his country’s defense ties with Nordic countries, including Denmark, Finland …

France’s nuclear deterrence takes major step toward Europe

France’s nuclear deterrence takes major step toward Europe

At the Ile Longue naval base in Finistère, western France, the choice of words and names is never left to chance. France’s current four nuclear submarines – Le Triomphant (“The Triumphant”), Le Téméraire (“The Audacious”), Le Vigilant (“The Vigiliant”) and Le Terrible (“The Dreadful”) – were all launched during the so-called “peace dividend” era. Their successors, however, will be a different story. The first, scheduled for completion in 2036, was named L’Invincible (“The Invincible”) on Monday, March 2, at the start of French President Emmanuel Macron’s speech on the evolution of France’s nuclear doctrine. It will face entirely new threats. A “historical parenthesis has closed,” Macron said, foreseeing a multiplication of conflicts and the dawn of a new “age of nuclear weapons.” The global framework for nuclear arms control is now so weakened, he warned, that it “resembles a field of ruins,” with several international treaties now defunct or at risk. In a carefully crafted 50-minute speech, Macron stressed cooperation and solidarity with Europeans, rolling out a new “advanced deterrence” doctrine. Starting this year, France …

France and Germany Move Closer on Joint Nuclear Deterrence

France and Germany Move Closer on Joint Nuclear Deterrence

BERLIN/PARIS, March 2 (Reuters) – France and Germany announced plans ⁠on ⁠Monday to deepen cooperation on ⁠nuclear deterrence, marking a significant shift in European defence policy as ​the continent faces rising threats from Russia and instability linked to the Iran conflict. The countries will set ‌up a high-level steering group ‌to align strategy, according to a joint statement. Germany will join French nuclear exercises and ⁠inspections of ⁠strategic sites, while both aim to strengthen conventional and missile defence ​capabilities with other European partners. “In response to the evolving threat landscape,” the statement read, France and Germany have agreed to pursue “closer cooperation in the field of deterrence.” The initiative reflects Europe’s push to reduce reliance ​on the U.S. nuclear umbrella, long central to regional security, after Russia’s invasion of ⁠Ukraine ⁠exposed gaps in Europe’s defences. Tensions ⁠have climbed ​further as drone and missile attacks tied to the conflict in Iran have reached Europe’s ​periphery, including a strike ⁠by an Iranian‑made Shahed drone on a British air base in Cyprus, causing limited damage but heightening concern. …