Objective 2.5% of GDP for defense in 2030: deputies review the Military Planning Law with 36 billion more.

Members of Parliament are examining a revision of the Military Programming Law 2024-2030 in committee. The previous law allocated 413 billion euros over six years until 2030. The new draft law proposes adding 36 billion to this.

Two and a half years after its adoption, MPs start reviewing in committee a revision of the Military Programming Law 2024-2030, with an additional 36 billion euros in a context marked by the war in Ukraine and the Middle East.

The previous law allocated 413 billion euros over six years until 2030. The new draft law, being examined in the Defense committee, aims to increase this amount significantly.

This trajectory would lead to an annual military budget of 76.3 billion in 2030, equivalent to 2.5% of GDP. However, there are two important details to note: the programming law outlines a path, but Parliament can potentially deviate from it each autumn by voting on the state budget. Additionally, 2027 is a presidential election year, which could potentially change the situation.

“Simultaneous and enduring crises of high intensity”

“It is a programming law for two years”, says Jean-Louis Thiériot (LR), former minister and co-rapporteur of the text. While he appreciates the effort, he still finds it insufficient in the face of “a peril that seems existential or at least very significant”, especially with the return of war in Europe.

“The France must prepare to face (…) simultaneous and enduring crises of high intensity (…) all while managing hybrid actions on its own territory,” warned the Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin.

During the hearing, RN MP Laurent Jacobelli lamented the previous law as largely adopted by Parliament. Aurélien Saintoul (LFI) believed that the 36 billion were mainly used to pay the bills of the previous LPM, criticising a law that he deemed “fundamentally insincere.”

Focus on ammunition, use of algorithms…

While the text does not plan to change the size of the armies, it emphasizes necessary investment positions, starting with ammunition (an additional 8.5 billion euros, totaling 26 billion over the period).

In addition to the investment aspect, the text introduces several innovations. This includes allowing private operators to neutralize drones flying over sensitive sites, as well as creating a new “national security alert status,” which allows for derogation from several rules (construction, expropriation, or environmental) in the event of a “serious threat” to the nation.

It also aims to enable the intelligence services to use algorithms to track and exploit web connection data. This is particularly for national defense purposes and against organized crime and trafficking of drugs or weapons. A similar provision had been censored by the Constitutional Council in the last law against drug trafficking.

Other measures aim to control the publication of books by former intelligence agents and to create a new national, military, and voluntary service.