France investing in naval power as military ambition is ‘to be feared:’ Armed forces minister

The French navy ship, the FS Languedoc (D653), as seen in port on January 20, 2024 in Djibouti, Djibouti. (Luke Dray/Getty Images)

PARIS — France’s Minister of the Armed Forces says the country’s military ambition to be “feared” on the global stage is driving major modernization investments, including naval drone and munitions programs.

“This ambition reflects a firmly established French political determination: to retain the ability to make decisions and take action independently. To be feared, in order to remain free,” French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin said during her speech inaugurating the Euronaval defense show today in Paris.

French President Emmanuel M acron has previously used similar words during his nuclear strategy address in March, when he announced in Brittany an increase in the country’s nuclear warhead stockpile. His message centers on a belief Paris strongly argues for: strategic autonomy, and that to protect its sovereignty, it must remain a credible and feared power.

Vautrin made clear in her comments that naval power will be a prominent part in executing this vision. The first step: funding a naval drone effort, unveiled earlier this year that seeks to fast-track combining manned warships with autonomous systems.

According to the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA), the initiative is structured across three categories: tactical drones intended particularly for escort and protection missions; endurance drones for intelligence and surveillance operations; and specialized action drones, which include, in part, remotely operated naval munitions. The total budget for these acquisitions has not been disclosed publicly, but likely won’t come cheap — part of why Macron’s government is looking to increase its overall defense spending.

“The draft budget I am presenting to Parliament provides for defense spending to reach €63.4 billion in the 2027 financial year. That is €6.5 billion more than in 2026. This is historic,” Vautrin said.

The draft was presented to Parliament and the Senate in October, but it has not yet been adopted. A vote is scheduled this month, while the draft is currently being debated widely within the French parliament.

During her speech, Vautrin also mentioned additional orders the DGA placed over the summer for surface and underwater drones under the French future mine-countermeasure program, known as SLAM-F. More specifically, the French procurement arm ordered a dozen of these systems to bolster the French Navy’s uncrewed mine warfare capabilities, which it said are required to guarantee freedom of navigation in the current geopolitical context.

Vautrin also used her speech to underline that Paris going forward wants to prioritize buying systems of European origin.

“Our first weapon is our ability to manufacture as Europeans. That is how we will become stronger. There are already successful examples: Greece… But I could also mention the quality and complementarity of our partnership with Sweden in the fields of missiles, aviation, and naval capabilities, with the objective of achieving mutual strategic autonomy. [Also] Belgium and the Netherlands, with our cooperation on new mine-warfare vessels.”

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2024年1月20日，法国海军舰艇“朗格多克”号（D653）停泊在吉布提港口。（Luke Dray/Getty Images）

巴黎——法国武装部队部长表示，法国希望在全球舞台上成为“令人畏惧”的军事雄心正在推动重大的现代化投资，包括海军无人机和弹药项目。

“这一雄心壮志反映了法国坚定的政治决心：保持独立决策和行动的能力。为了保持自由，就要令人敬畏。”法国武装部队部长凯瑟琳·沃特兰今天在巴黎举行的欧洲海军防务展开幕式上发表讲话时说道。

法国总统马克龙此前曾在3月份发表核战略讲话时使用过类似措辞，当时他在布列塔尼宣布增加法国的核弹头储备。他的讲话核心在于巴黎一直大力倡导的理念：战略自主，以及为了捍卫主权，法国必须保持其作为一支可信赖且令人畏惧的力量的地位。

沃特林在讲话中明确指出，海军力量将在实现这一愿景中发挥重要作用。第一步是资助一项海军无人机项目，该项目于今年早些时候启动，旨在加快将有人驾驶军舰与自主系统相结合的进程。

据法国国防采购局（DGA）称，该计划分为三大类：主要用于护航和保护任务的战术无人机；用于情报和监视行动的长航时无人机；以及特种作战无人机，其中包括部分遥控海军弹药。这些采购的总预算尚未公开，但很可能价格不菲——这也是马克龙政府寻求增加国防开支的部分原因。

“我向议会提交的预算草案规定，2027财年的国防开支将达到634亿欧元。这比2026年增加65亿欧元。这是历史性的，”沃特林说。

该草案已于10月提交议会和参议院，但尚未获得通过。本月将进行投票表决，目前该草案正在法国议会内部进行广泛讨论。

在演讲中，沃特兰还提到，法国国防采购局（DGA）在夏季根据法国未来扫雷计划（SLAM-F）追加订购了水面和水下无人机。更具体地说，法国国防采购局订购了12套此类系统，以增强法国海军的无人扫雷能力。该机构表示，在当前的地缘政治环境下，这种能力对于保障航行自由至关重要。

沃特兰还在演讲中强调，巴黎今后希望优先采购欧洲原产的体系。

“我们首要的武器是欧洲人的制造能力。这才是我们变得更加强大的途径。希腊已经取得了成功……此外，我还要提及我们与瑞典在导弹、航空和海军能力领域的高质量互补合作，其目标是实现共同的战略自主。[还有]比利时和荷兰，我们在新型扫雷舰艇方面开展了合作。”

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无人机主导了美国陆军协会（AUSA）的会议，此外，陆军还计划引入新的供应商。

Hegseth 在 AUSA 大会上谈到了自主性，这是本次大会的一个重点议题。

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