Emmanuel Macron anticipated earlier than the armies in Istres, towards a backdrop of persistent geopolitical tensions in Greenland, Iran and Ukraine | EUROtoday

Emmanuel Macron presents his needs to the armies on Thursday January 15, a extremely anticipated assembly whereas France remains to be looking for a finances for 2026, towards a backdrop of geopolitical tensions, together with transatlantic tensions, and rising navy wants. The head of the military will “provide guidelines for national defense” in entrance of an viewers of a thousand friends, at 12:30 p.m., on the strategic air base of Istres (Bouches-du-Rhône), which homes the nuclear weapon, 60 kilometers northwest of Marseille, stated the Elysée.

He will likely be accompanied by the Minister of the Armed Forces, Catherine Vautrin, and her delegate minister, Alice Rufo, former advisor to the diplomatic cell of the Elysée. A protection council was urgently convened on Thursday at 8 a.m. on the Elysée, Agence France-Presse realized. The demonstrations in Iran repressed by the authorities and the American threats to take management of Greenland should be talked about, earlier than the president goes to Istres.

Thus, Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark which the American president desires to grab by “all means” in defiance of the Transatlantic Alliance (NATO), and Ukraine may also be the focus throughout his speech. In this context of unprecedented disaster inside NATO, France introduced Wednesday night its participation in a European navy mission in Greenland, alongside Sweden and Germany.

Political and navy leaders may also be waiting for all of the phrases referring to the budgetary dialogue, nonetheless deadlocked in Parliament, whereas Emmanuel Macron has requested to extend the military’s credit by 3.5 billion in 2026.

“Indeed, it is a moment which will very probably focus on this subject”notes a navy advisor to the president, recalling that the top of state had already made the dedication in Istres in 2017 to extend France’s protection effort to 2% of GDP in 2025: goal achieved.

Defense finances

The navy programming regulation (LPM) handed in July 2023 gives 413 billion euros for the armies from 2024 to 2030. But, “in the face of an increasingly brutal world”Emmanuel Macron requested a budgetary extension of three.5 billion euros in 2026 and three billion in 2027. The replace of the LPM, postponed a number of instances, should now happen earlier than the summer season. Thus, the protection finances can have nearly doubled underneath Emmanuel Macron’s two mandates to succeed in 64 billion euros yearly from 2027 and not 2030.

The Head of State has additionally made the restoration of nationwide service, paid and voluntary, considered one of his initiatives for 2026. The armies plan to enlist 3,000 individuals from this service this 12 months (1,800 within the land military, 600 within the air and house military and 600 within the navy), then 4,000 in 2027, 10,000 in 2030, with 42,500 as ambition in 2035.

The president may also ship this 12 months, most likely in February, a speech on nuclear deterrence, the keystone of France’s protection technique. He has already talked about on a number of events “the protection by our deterrence of our allies on the European continent”making an allowance for the risk represented specifically “Russia […] for France and Europe ».

After a lunch with the military and a tour of the base, Mr. Macron will board a refueling and troop transport plane – an Airbus A330 MRTT (Multirole Tanker Transport) – piloted by astronaut Thomas Pesquet, bound for Orly. The former commander of the International Space Station has been a reserve colonel in the Air Force since August 2024, assigned to Istres, and has “all the certificates and diplomas to pilot an MRTT”specified the Elysée.

The president will witness the takeoff and touchdown from the cockpit in addition to an in-flight refueling of Rafale fighters. A well being crew may also current the medical evacuation capabilities of as much as ten significantly injured individuals, within the circumstances of an intensive care service, on board the plane.