France ramps up defence spending in revised military plan

The French government on Wednesday presented a proposed update to its military planning bill that would more than double its military budget by the end of the decade.

The government now plans to spend an additional €36 billion on the military over the remainder of the decade, bringing the 2030 annual budget to €76.3 billion – more than double its 2017 level of €32.2 billion. The Military Planning Law (MLP), adopted in 2023, had originally earmarked €413 billion to meet the army’s needs for the 2024–30 period.

This would bring France’s defence spending to 2.5% of GDP in 2030. NATO allies agreed last year to invest 3.5% of their GDP in core defence by 2035.

Ammunition, space, and long-range ballistic missiles

The update aims to plug the country’s most urgent needs: ammunition, counter-drone measures, intelligence, and cybersecurity.    

The biggest share of the spending jump – €8.5 billion – will go towards significantly increasing the country’s…