French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged an aggressive €6.5 billion increase in additional defense spending over the next two years, citing growing threats from Russia, terror groups, and cyber warfare. In a bold Bastille Day-eve address, Macron warned, “Since 1945, freedom has never been so threatened, and never so seriously.”
Macron proposed a €3.5 billion boost in 2026 and another €3 billion in 2027, aiming to raise France’s annual defense budget to €64 billion by the end of his term—double what it was when he took office in 2017. “To be free in this world we must be feared. To be feared we must be powerful,” Macron declared.
The president demanded unity and sacrifice from the French people, saying, “Freedom has a price tag.” Despite France’s mounting debt, Macron said the nation “can find the money” to secure itself against growing instability in Europe and the Middle East, while pointing to U.S. unpredictability as another challenge.
His plan includes a “strategic dialogue” with European partners on the use of France’s nuclear deterrent, signaling a major step toward European military autonomy as U.S. leadership is questioned.
“The nation needs you,” Macron told the armed forces. While conservatives back the proposal, left-wing parties are accusing Macron of gutting social welfare to fund the military.
Still, Macron made his position clear: “Every French man and woman must be cognizant of the threat around us.”
