The country’s president focused this year’s speech to the French armed forces on the need to strengthen its defense capacity, as well as overall, at a time when “some are moving towards a new colonialism”. The French president, speaking from the air base in Istres, France, said 2026 is a year of challenges and credibility for France whose defense capacity will be strengthened because, he said, “to be free we must be strong.”
Macron announced an increase in defense spending by 36 billion euros
In particular, he announced an additional increase in defense spending of 36 billion euros, so that “we are able to meet a major challenge over the next three or four years.” He underlined the need to develop the space dimension of the French defense strategy, but also to strengthen European autonomy. “Russia is able to threaten us with long-range missiles, as it proved with the launch of the Orechnkik missile,” the French president also said, emphasizing that the priorities are to increase the stockpile of weapons systems and prepare for eventual actions.
What did he say about Europe and Ukraine?
“History forgives neither unpreparedness nor weakness,” continued President Macron, stressing that “our armed forces are the nation’s life insurance.” According to the French president, in 2025 the Europe of defense has become a reality to the extent that European countries and their allies have in fact undertaken to assist Ukraine’s resistance against Russia. The French president characteristically mentioned that the largest amount of information that the Ukrainian army receives today comes mainly from French sources, while last year it came mainly from American sources.
He announced the reinforcement of French forces in Greenland
Referring specifically to Greenland, President Macron, after announcing the strengthening, within the next few days, of the French military presence there with land, air and sea forces, said that France and Europe must be present wherever the sovereignty of an EU member state is threatened, pointing out that Greenland is a European territory that belongs to the territory of Denmark, a member state of the Atlantic Alliance. The French president also noted that Europe is seeing decades-old certainties challenged and that it is facing competitors it had not imagined before. “We are in a world where destabilizing forces have awakened,” Emmanuel Macron pointed out.
Regarding the European defense industry, the French president noted the need to strengthen the European preference, while regarding the French defense industry he pointed out that “we are not a war economy and therefore the production of defense systems is insufficient.” “We must increase our defense industry because otherwise our customers today will be our competitors tomorrow” the French president also noted.
Finally, referring to what is happening in Iran, the French president spoke of an evolving revolution and of the regime’s unacceptable attacks against the citizens of Iran. The French president called for an end to these attacks, noting that France will contribute to the de-escalation of tension and the achievement of stability and security in the region.
