European Parliament Debates Nuclear Deterrence Policy

Europe’s security environment has changed since Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. U.S. security guarantees have prompted renewed discussion of a European nuclear deterrent. France has placed itself at the center of the debate.

Since 2020 President Emmanuel Macron has called for a European dimension to France’s nuclear forces while keeping final decision-making authority in Paris.

France developed its independent nuclear force in the 1960s after the United States declined to share nuclear weapons information. France withdrew from NATO’s integrated military command in 1966 and did not join NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group. European defense spending declined from the 1990s to 2020 under the assumption that major conflict in Europe was unlikely.

Russia’s actions since 2014 and the 2022 invasion of Ukraine reversed that assumption. The 2025 UK–France Northwood Declaration increased nuclear coordination between the two European nuclear powers. In 2026 Germany and France established a high-level steering group on nuclear deterrence.

France’s nuclear forces currently consist of sea-based and airborne components. Discussions have considered whether a land-based element should be added. Any arrangement would require decisions on basing, cost-sharing, alert procedures, and compatibility with non-proliferation commitments.

France has proposed deploying dual-capable Rafale aircraft to other European countries. Joint financing of French and British nuclear forces by participating states has been discussed but has gained limited traction. France maintains that its nuclear deterrent remains a sovereign capability.

Regular exercises and sustained political coordination would be required to establish credibility. The willingness of the guarantor state to act in a crisis remains a central uncertainty.