Debate about protective sign: Can the nuclear power France protect all of Europe?

In the middle of the struggle for a possible peace deal in the Ukraine War and for European unity according to the US course swivel, Europe is discussing its future nuclear deterrence. The focus is on whether France and perhaps also Great Britain could take over the nuclear defense of Germany and Europe-in ​​addition to the US atoma or if Washington should no longer guarantee this protection in the NATO network at some point.

How does the existing NATO system of nuclear deterrence work for Germany?

Germany does not have its own atomic bombs and relies on the deterrent by the United States, which have the entire range of smaller (“tactical”) to the (“strategic”) nuclear weapons also supported by ballistic rockets. The United States granted some NATO partners – including Germany – as part of the so -called nuclear participation in the event of war access to atomic bombs.

The Bundeswehr holds its own tornado jets in Büchel in the Eifel, which, according to unconfirmed reports, can fly around 20 Thermonuclear B61 gravitational bombs to the finish. Germany also has access to the nuclear planning in NATO. In order to continue to be able to fulfill this task in the future, Type F-35 tapping jets were ordered in the USA.

Why is the debate going now?

France President Emmanuel Macron had repeatedly offered talks on the European dimension of French nuclear die-off in recent years. He is concerned with the strategic sovereignty of Europe. According to its will, Europe should become more independent of the United States. However, critics accuse France of being looking for money for the modernization of his nuclear weapons arsenal.

The topic is now brand new because the course of US President Donald Trump stirs up doubts about Washington’s reliability as an alliance partner. According to statements by the future Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the debate got momentum. Shortly before the Bundestag election in the ZDF morning magazine, this had said that one had to talk to the European nuclear powers of France and Great Britain about nuclear participation or at least nuclear security.

What does France have?

According to the Sipri Peace Research Institute, France has 290 of the nuclear weapons worldwide and is the fourth largest nuclear power to go to Russia, the USA and China. Héloïse Fayet from the French Institute for International Relations says: “From an operational perspective, the French arsenal is assessed as sufficiently credible to deter Russia.”

The country has four atomic submarines, from which rockets with nuclear warheads can be fired with a range of around 10,000 kilometers. France can also use nuclear weapons from the air. His rafale fighting jets can shoot the country’s 50 marching missiles with nuclear explosives. These officially have a range of around 500 kilometers.

How much protection do the French weapons offer?

The United States owns significantly more nuclear weapons than France. According to Sipri, it is a good 5,000. The Fayet expert expert assumes that you will not be able to do without the US protection screen with an expansion of French deterrence. That is why it is not currently possible, she said in the magazine “La Vie”. It suspects that US atom weapons continue to stay in Europe and that an expansion of French deterrence would also look different because of the different weapons and geographical location.

More than the number of nuclear weapons is about the flexibility of the arsenal, the specialist for ballistic weapon systems Étienne Marcuz told the magazine “Le Point”. It is important to combine nuclear and conventional skills.

What could an expansion of French deterrence look like?

According to Macron, European partners could be involved in the exercises of the French nuclear troops. Paris could suggest his allies to take part in Eurofighter jets, arms expert Marcuz told the newspaper “Le Figaro”. France could also populate European bombers with French nuclear weapons, which would not be technically easy, since the rockets have so far only been installed on Rafale jets, said former atomic submarine commander Jean-Louis Lozier of the newspaper.

French fighter bombers could also patrol along the EU boundaries, as the American B52 do regularly. In addition, France’s strategic air forces could train, start and land at airports in other countries, such as Poland, Romania or Finland. According to expert Fayet, deliveries from Rafale-Jets and the stationing of French troops in partner countries are also conceivable.

And what about the storage of weapons?

According to arms expert Marcuz, France could also station nuclear weapons in partner countries. In addition to the high symbolic value, this would shorten the distance to Europe’s eastern flank and extend the origin of the threat to a potential enemy.

From a French perspective, however, the weapons would have to remain under strict French control and their storage locations should be protected by French armed forces. According to expert Fayet, storage is currently not up for debate.

Who is on the pusher with the French weapons?

President Macron has made it clear that the decision about the French nuclear weapons remains in the hands of France and his head of state.

What about nuclear Great Britain?

The British use four submarines with a nuclear drive for atomic deterrence, at least one of which is traveling in the world’s oceans. Unlike France, London also put his deterrent into the service of NATO. According to a government spokesman, Great Britain is already using his nuclear deterrence to protect other European countries.