France will add €36 billion to its defence budget for 2024‑2030 after the army chief warned parliament of a growing Russian threat. Fabien Mandon, chief of staff of the French armed forces, told a parliamentary defence committee that Russia fields 1.3 million troops in 2025 and could reach 1.9 million by 2030, while its heavy‑tank fleet may rise from 4,000 to 7,000 and its navy will retain 230‑240 combat ships. The warning preceded a cabinet presentation of an updated Military Programming Law that proposes the extra spending on top of the €413 billion already earmarked for the period.
The €36 billion boost, slated for a parliamentary vote in July, is aimed at expanding ammunition stockpiles, accelerating drone procurement, strengthening air‑defence systems and fast‑tracking long‑range artillery projects. If approved, defence outlays would climb to 2.5 percent of France's GDP by 2030, up from roughly 2 percent today, and total €76.3 billion by the decade's end, compared with €47.2 billion in 2024. The plan also funds a study for a conventional ballistic missile with a 2,500‑km range and upgrades to cruise missiles. An additional €1.6 billion will speed delivery of surface‑to‑air missiles and anti‑drone measures, while €2 billion is set aside for drone and robotic warfare capabilities.
Despite the larger budget, the size of the French armed forces will stay unchanged at 210,000 active personnel, 225 combat aircraft and 15 top‑tier frigates. "We are in a period of danger. We should not provoke anxiety, but simply raise awareness, because we need this defence investment," Mandon said. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the French concerns, stating Russia poses no threat to any country that does not seek to undermine its security. Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin noted that France has already ordered 10,000 small drones, with 5,000 expected this year, and President Emmanuel Macron warned that long delivery times for new capabilities undermine competitiveness.
The most striking element of France's new defence plan is the decision to pour billions into stockpiles and high‑tech weaponry while keeping the size of its armed forces static. By targeting ammunition, drones and long‑range missiles rather than expanding personnel, Paris signals that future conflict is expected to be fought with precision systems rather than sheer troop numbers.
This shift mirrors a broader European trend of reallocating resources toward autonomous and remote‑operated platforms after the Ukraine war exposed the limits of conventional force structures. NATO allies are collectively raising defence spending, yet many are prioritising rapid procurement cycles and domestic industrial capacity to reduce reliance on external suppliers, a stance echoed by President Macron's criticism of five‑to‑seven‑year delivery windows.
For African nations, France's heightened focus on advanced weaponry could reshape the regional arms market, where French defence firms have traditionally supplied equipment to several states. Increased production capacity may lower prices or accelerate deliveries of drones and missile systems to African customers, potentially altering the balance of military capability on the continent. At the same time, the emphasis on high‑cost technology underscores the fiscal challenge developing economies face when trying to modernise their own forces
