If the finance laws respect the trajectory set by the LPM in 2023, they still appear inadequate to meet our ambitions. “We are still on a scenario of repair and modernization of our armies,” said Dominique de Legge, senator of Ille-et-Vilaine and special rapporteur for the finance committee for the “defense” mission.
In 2026, the state plans to spend 42 billion euros on equipment, with priority given to ammunition, shells, missiles, and torpedoes. It was urgent, as France no longer had sufficient stocks to sustain a high-intensity conflict beyond a few days. The good news economically is that 90% of this budget remains in France through orders placed with French military industrial and technological companies.
However, the budget allocation this year prioritized essential expenses, with no announcement of major emblematic projects like an aircraft carrier or submarine. Instead, the focus is on armored vehicles like Griffon, Serval, or Jaguar, and especially the renovation of our Rafale planes. Entered into service in 2004, they need new engines, radar, and other sensors to remain effective and adapt to new threats.
Threats are evolving rapidly, requiring extensive capacities in areas like space, cyber, and drones. This additional budget also helped cover most of the Ministry of Armed Forces’ deferred charges, which had reached an unprecedented level of 8 billion euros in 2025. In other words, the SMEs and intermediate-sized companies that had worked hard to fulfill orders will finally get paid.
With orders reaching 38 billion in 2025 and 42 billion in 2026, France’s armament is strengthening. However, this still appears low when compared not only to the United States with its 980 billion dollars budget last year but even just to Germany.
Germany ranks second in military expenses within NATO, with a budget of 98 billion dollars, ahead of the UK’s 91 billion dollars and France. Berlin has committed to a massive investment program in defense and infrastructure, aiming to build Europe’s most powerful conventional army. While it is not currently at France’s level, Germany’s strong industry aims to receive orders to stimulate its economy.
Let’s not forget that France possesses nuclear deterrence. To maintain credibility internationally and in Europe, it must strengthen this capability. Currently representing 13% of the defense budget, the cost of increasing the number of nuclear warheads, announced by Emmanuel Macron earlier this week, will amount to 36 billion euros. This bill will be presented next spring during an update of the military law program. These 36 billion euros will be added to the 413 billion euros already planned for the period 2024-2030. Discussions and debates on the country’s budgetary issues are unlikely to diminish in the coming years, becoming a central question in the 2027 presidential elections. As we will have to save money each year to reduce our deficits, the real question will arise of whether the French are ready to support the war effort in the long term.
