France preparing ‘war economy’ – Politico

Paris is planning to increase drone stocks by 400% until 2030, according to a draft law seen by the outlet

France is seeking to quadruple its stockpile of kamikaze drones and drastically expand missile arsenals by the end of the decade, Politico reported on Friday, citing a draft military planning law which describes the push as preparations for a “war economy.”

According to the 64-page-long document set to be presented by the government next week, French policymakers intend to focus on expanding their munitions arsenals rather than the armed forces themselves, while taking cues from the Ukraine and Middle East conflicts, which have been depleting Western arms stocks at an alarming rate.

In this vein, the stocks of loitering munitions such as kamikaze drones are set to grow by 400%, Safran-made AASM Hammer guided bombs by 240%, and Aster and Mica missiles by 30% by 2030, Politico reported.

The draft states the effort is being carried out “with a view to preparing for a 'war economy,” with investment channeled into “co-financing of priority production capacities.”

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According to the proposal, the total defense spending will rise steadily, from €63.3 billion ($73 billion) in 2027 to €76.3 billion by 2030. The sums, while fixed in the planning law, will still require fresh parliamentary approval each year once the bill clears the legislature.

France does not plan to increase the size of its armed forces or acquire major additional equipment such as Rafale aircraft or frigates, the report says.

Paris has also apparently shelved the Eurodrone – a joint long-range reconnaissance program with Germany, Italy, and Spain – with no funds allocated to the much-delayed project. France is, however, considering studies into a successor to the Leclerc main battle tank, which has been in service since 1992, according to the report.

The plan is in line with a long-running push by French President Emmanuel Macron to make France and its European allies less dependent on American weapons and achieve “strategic autonomy.” Earlier this week, he stated that he did not want Paris “to be the vassals of two hegemonic powers.”

“We don’t want to depend on the dominance, let’s say on China, or we don’t want to be too much exposed to the unpredictability of the US,” he added.

Moscow has consistently criticized NATO military build-up, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accusing the bloc of “seriously preparing for war against Russia and, in fact, not even hiding it.” Russia has also dismissed NATO members’ claims that it could attack the bloc within several years as “nonsense” and fearmongering.