At the Ile Longue naval base in Finistère, western France, the choice of words and names is never left to chance. France’s current four nuclear submarines – Le Triomphant (“The Triumphant”), Le Téméraire (“The Audacious”), Le Vigilant (“The Vigiliant”) and Le Terrible (“The Dreadful”) – were all launched during the so-called “peace dividend” era. Their successors, however, will be a different story. The first, scheduled for completion in 2036, was named L’Invincible (“The Invincible”) on Monday, March 2, at the start of French President Emmanuel Macron’s speech on the evolution of France’s nuclear doctrine. It will face entirely new threats.

A “historical parenthesis has closed,” Macron said, foreseeing a multiplication of conflicts and the dawn of a new “age of nuclear weapons.” The global framework for nuclear arms control is now so weakened, he warned, that it “resembles a field of ruins,” with several international treaties now defunct or at risk.

In a carefully crafted 50-minute speech, Macron stressed cooperation and solidarity with Europeans, rolling out a new “advanced deterrence” doctrine. Starting this year, France will cooperate with seven European Union countries and the United Kingdom, allowing partners to join deterrence-related military exercises or participate in conventional operations.

In a major shift, Macron indicated that “elements of the strategic forces” could also be deployed in allied countries. “Just as our strategic submarines naturally blend into the oceans, guaranteeing a permanent strike capability, our strategic air forces could be dispersed into the heart of the European continent,” he explained, adding that “this distribution across European territory […] will complicate our adversaries’ calculations.”

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