France’s New Strategy: Return to ‘Nuclear Age’ Is Cause for Concern

Editorial

15:00 JST, March 25, 2026

French President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled a new strategy to increase the number of France’s nuclear warheads to strengthen deterrence.

Amid the rampant use of force by the two nuclear superpowers of the United States and Russia, seen in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, France’s new strategy is a cause for concern because it could accelerate nuclear arms expansion.

Since the Cold War era, when Europe was in confrontation with the Soviet Union (now Russia), Europe has relied on U.S. nuclear deterrence for its security. The United States has deployed nuclear weapons in some North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries such as Germany and the Netherlands, and in the event of contingency, these weapons are designed to be fired on the judgment of the U.S. president.

France has not joined this framework and has maintained its nuclear forces for its own defense.

However, Macron has now shifted this policy, expressing plans to conduct nuclear exercises in coordination with eight countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland, and to deploy French fighter jets equipped with nuclear weapons to these nations.

The mechanism through which the French president makes the final decision on the use of these nuclear weapons will remain unchanged — the aim is to extend nuclear deterrence to European countries other than France.

The security environment surrounding Europe is deteriorating. Russia continues its aggression against Ukraine and has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons. Despite this, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a pro-Russian stance, bolstering the argument that Europe should strengthen its own defense capabilities by itself.

Distrust of the United States likely lies behind France’s policy shift.

However, the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) allows only five countries — France, the United States, Russia, China and the United Kingdom — to possess nuclear weapons, while imposing an obligation to pursue nuclear disarmament.

France reduced its stockpile of nuclear warheads from 540 in the 1990s to 290, but now it says it will increase the number again. Even if the aim is meant to address new threats, there is no choice but to say a unilateral nuclear buildup is irresponsible.

Also, it should not be overlooked that France has decided not to disclose in the future the number of warheads it possesses. If nuclear powers refuse to disclose how many nuclear warheads they have, it could lead to mutual distrust and further arms expansion.

Nuclear powers’ disregard for the NPT is egregious. In February, the United States and Russia let the bilateral New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) expire, which set limits on the number of deployed strategic nuclear weapons, and decided to proceed with the development of new nuclear weapons. China, too, is rapidly increasing its stockpile of nuclear warheads without providing transparency.

The United Kingdom has already shifted its policy toward expanding its nuclear arsenal. Now that France is also moving toward military expansion, the nuclear nonproliferation regime will be on the brink of collapse. There are inevitable concerns that unrestrained military expansion by nuclear states will trigger other countries’ ambitions to acquire nuclear weapons, making the world even more unstable.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 25, 2026)