Nuke-talk is heating up among Europeans in Munich
Multiple European countries are publicly backing talks on a homegrown nuclear deterrent to complement American atomic weapons following an erosion of trust in a Donald Trump-led U.S.
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A new paper presented on the conference’s sidelines assesses six different nuclear options for the continent: Doubling down on America's deterrent; increasing the role of France and the U.K.; developing a supranational Eurodeterrent; acquiring new independent arsenals; and focusing on conventional deterrence.
Two senior European government officials said that capitals could theoretically help support France’s nuclear deterrent by providing conventional military assets like submarines. Paris could also consider increasing its nuclear arsenal, subsidized by other countries, added the officials, both of whom were granted anonymity to speak freely.
Some countries are calling for France to join NATO’s official nuclear planning process, which they argue would more closely tie the French arsenal to European security.
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Now, the next step is Macron's speech in March — and there's pressure on him to deliver.« After years of French attempts to develop a common strategic approach to deterrence in Europe, often at odds with the interests of our allies, the geopolitical context now allows for alignment » said Héloïse Fayet, a researcher at the French Institute for International Relations.
« We must now translate these words into concrete actions and proposals in order to strengthen European deterrence in the face of the Russian threat and American volatility » she added.
>> Read the full article on POLITICO's website.
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Héloïse FAYET
Research Fellow and Head of the Deterrence and Proliferation program, Security Studies Center, Ifri
