How French armies prepare for high

In the context of updating the Military Programming Law (LPM), French armed forces are gearing up for a possible major engagement by 2030. The ministry is investing over €12 billion (of the €36 billion planned) in the purchase of ammunition (shells and missiles), soldier operational readiness, and ground engagement. The bill for this update is set to pass in the Council of Ministers this Wednesday.

Between priorities and sacrifices, the Ministry of the Armed Forces, as part of the LPM update covering the period 2024-2030, has made strong choices, which also entail significant sacrifices. Among these sacrifices are delaying the expansion of the armed forces’ size and military equipment to the next LPM, as well as stopping programs such as the European MALE drone (Eurodrone) and the Patroller drone (Safran). Clearly, quantity will have to wait. However, the Ministry of Armed Forces aims to toughen the current model in this update, providing the armed forces with the means to be operationally ready as quickly as possible.

In short, they need to be ready for a possible high-intensity conflict by 2030 that may affect them. In the short term, the Ministry will particularly invest more than planned in force protection with ground-to-air defense systems and anti-drone warfare (nearly two billion) as well as in electromagnetic warfare (+400 million). They will also focus on modernizing the armed forces’ model around drones, including guided munitions and deep-strike capabilities. The means are there. In 2026, the Directorate General of Armament (DGA) will order nearly €31 billion worth of equipment outside of deterrence (compared to €20 billion in 2025 and €14 billion in 2024).

A substantial effort includes ordering an additional €8.5 billion worth of ammunition (missiles, shells) for the period 2026-2030 (+53%) compared to the initial plan. In total, they will spend over €26 billion during the LPM period. This level of investment is unprecedented for this sector, which has often been the adjustment variable between 1997 and 2017. Between 2024 and 2030, various ammunition stocks will significantly increase: +400% for guided munitions, +240% for the AASM guided bomb (Safran), +230% for MU90 torpedoes (Naval Group and Leonardo) and F21 torpedoes (Naval Group), +190% for 155mm shells (KNDS France), +100% for Exocet sea-to-sea missiles (MBDA), +85% for Scalp and MdCN missiles (MBDA)…

The Ministry of Armed Forces is also investing around two billion euros in operational readiness of the armed forces, who need to train more realistically to anticipate the intensification and brutality of potential high-intensity conflicts. Based on past conflict experiences, the armed forces will heavily invest in body armor, simulation tools, various drones, and spare parts in sufficient volume. Soldiers’ operational readiness will logically benefit from the effort made in increasing ammunition stocks, including training ammunition. Soldiers will be firing much more, which is currently a necessity.

To quickly meet the demands of a major engagement, the Ministry will increase its effort (+€1.7 billion) for the army in fire support, force protection, specialized support, and logistics: enhancing army unit connectivity with 4,000 additional Contact portable or vehicle radio sets, developing cooperation capabilities between helicopters and drones, guided munitions, procuring an additional 41 CAESAR NG artillery pieces to be delivered by 2035, accelerating the delivery of Serval drones for anti-drone, electronic warfare, and very short-range ground-to-air defense.