MEPs are continuing to examine the military programming bill. In this, which must determine the 2024-2030 budgetary trajectory of the Armed Forces, the ” nuclear deterrence of tomorrow” was debated Tuesday evening in the National Assembly, with calls from communists, environmentalists and LFI for “multilateral disarmament”, while the other groups defended “life insurance” for France.
The modernization of deterrence occupies a good place in this bill on the program for two weeks at first reading, before a solemn vote announced on June 7 in the hemicycle. Among the most critical, Fabien Roussel again called on “France to take initiatives for multilateral nuclear disarmament”.
The high cost of deterrence
The leader of the Communist Party pointed to the cost of deterrence: “about 52 billion euros” planned from 2024 to 2030 for the “air, naval and naval aviation components”, according to the parliamentary report which accompanies the text. But “as long as there is no multilateral disarmament, we accept that nuclear power remains the keystone” of French defence, however qualified Fabien Roussel, during debates where the appeased tone was welcomed on all benches.
“We see hackers intervening in the most secure networks in the world”, “the nuclear weapon becomes a potential target”, “I prefer that it does not exist”, chained his colleague Jean-Paul Lecoq.
On the left, the subject divides. The Socialists thus abstained on the amendments of their coalition colleagues Nudes in favor of “reflecting” on deterrence not “based on nuclear weapons”. And the elect PS passed amendments by Mélanie Thomin and then Isabelle Santiago on the “credibility” of nuclear deterrence, an “essential component of our national defense”.
A “life insurance” according to the rapporteur of the text
The Minister of Armies Sebastien Lecornu for his part defended France’s “doctrine” in terms of nuclear deterrence, a “defensive, strictly sufficient” weapon, for the “defense of vital interests” against a “competitor of state origin”. He warned against any attempt to look for an “alternative” to deterrence, because one would have to “find something as terrifying”, with the risk of “proliferation” of other weapons, for example “biological”.
Deterrence is a “life insurance”, also underlined the Macronist rapporteur Jean-Michel Jacques, mentioning like the LR Jean-Louis Thiériot the context of the war in Ukraine.
In conclusion, the deputies adopted an amendment by the leader of the environmental group Cyrielle Chatelain recalling France’s “obligations” in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), with the support of Minister Lecornu.