France

France is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and one of five recognised nuclear weapon states under the NPT. It is Europe’s sole nuclear power post-Brexit and its most autonomous large military actor. France rejoined NATO’s integrated military command in 2009 after withdrawing in 1966 under de Gaulle, though it maintains a distinct strategic doctrine emphasising national independence (autonomie stratégique).

Under President Macron, France has positioned itself as the leading advocate for “European strategic autonomy” — the argument that Europe must develop independent defence and technology capabilities rather than relying entirely on the United States. This has created friction with the US and with Eastern European allies who prioritise Atlantic solidarity over European independence.

France is a founding member of NATO, the European Community (EU), and the Eurozone. It withdrew from NATO’s integrated military command in 1966 under President de Gaulle, citing incompatibility with French sovereignty, and rejoined fully in 2009 under President Sarkozy. France maintains bilateral defence agreements with numerous African and Middle Eastern states and has a permanent military presence in several former French African territories, though several Sahel deployments (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger) were terminated between 2022–2024 following anti-French coups.

France’s defence budget has risen to approximately €57.1 billion (~2.3% of GDP), following an accelerated update to the Loi de programmation militaire (LPM 2024–2030). A further €36 billion rearmament package puts France on a legislative track toward €64 billion by 2027 (French Ministry of the Armed Forces; Reuters, 2026). The French military has approximately 203,000 active armed forces personnel. Including the National Gendarmerie (which has military status), total active uniformed personnel reach approximately 264,000 (French Armed Forces, 2025). France maintains independent nuclear forces (Force de dissuasion) consisting of submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) aboard four Le Triomphant-class submarines and air-launched cruise missiles carried by Rafale aircraft. France is estimated to possess approximately 370 nuclear warheads following a historic expansion of the Force de dissuasion ordered by President Macron (FAS/SIPRI, 2026). France has announced it will no longer publicly disclose total warhead counts going forward, citing strategic ambiguity.

Unlike the UK, France’s nuclear deterrent is entirely sovereign — French missiles, French submarines, French warheads — making it the only truly independent European nuclear power. France has explicitly stated its deterrent also covers European allies under certain conditions, though this has never been formally defined.

Sahel withdrawal: France was expelled from Mali (2022), Burkina Faso (2023), and Niger (2023) following military coups whose leaders cited French military presence as incompatible with sovereignty. This represents the most significant collapse of French influence in Africa since decolonisation.

AUKUS and Australia: In September 2021, Australia cancelled a €56 billion French submarine contract to enter the AUKUS partnership with the US and UK instead. France recalled its ambassadors from Washington and Canberra — an unprecedented act between allies. Relations have since recovered but the episode exposed tensions in the Atlantic alliance.

European defence: France’s push for European strategic autonomy creates ongoing tension with Eastern European NATO members (particularly Poland and the Baltic states) who consider strong US commitment — not European self-reliance — the essential security guarantee against Russia.

• 1NATO, Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries (2014–2024) — nato.int
• 2Federation of American Scientists, French Nuclear Forces — fas.org
• 3French Ministry of the Armed Forces, National Strategic Review 2022 — defense.gouv.fr
• 4IMF, World Economic Outlook Database 2024 — imf.org
• 5Macron, E., Speech on European Strategic Autonomy, Sorbonne, April 2024 — elysee.fr