Updated Military Programming Law: 36 billion more to address new threats, defended by Catherine Vautrin

36 billion euros more over the period 2024/2030. This is what is provided for in the update of the military planning law (LPM). They are added to the 413 billion euros provided for by the LPM 2024/2030, after the LPM 2019-2025 known as repair, and its 300 billion euros. It is this text that the Minister of the Armed Forces, Catherine Vautrin, was questioned by the Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces Committee of the Senate on Tuesday. The bill is first examined by the Assembly, where it was adopted in committee, before then passing through the Senate. The objective is a final adoption by July 14.

“The text foresees a slowing down of the effort” If the numbers are staggering, they fall short of the needs, according to the chairman of the committee, Senator LR Cédric Perrin. He expresses his “disappointment” and “concern in the face of a bill that does not allow us to meet a shock in 2030” with Russia. While there is indeed an increase in credits, “the effort in terms of credits decreases starting in 2027.” “The text foresees a slowing down of the effort,” with +13% in 2026, then “more than +10.9% in 2027, 7.9% in 2028, 6.6% in 2029, 4.8% in 2030.” So much so that “France is lagging behind its German partner, which foresees 160 billion euros in 2030, more than double the French effort,” of 76 billion euros planned in 2030, which represent “only 2.43% of GDP,” less than the 3.5% target for NATO countries in 2035.

“New programs are essential” Senator Cédric Perrin also points out, “new programs are indispensable at the study level,” such as the “intermediate tank, ground ballistic missile” or the “Scaf,” the 6th generation aircraft, meant to be developed with Germany, but currently at a standstill.

“+8.5 billion euros for ammunition, +8.4 billion euros for drones” Catherine Vautrin “knows the path to reach 3.5%, with a defense budget that would ideally be between 90 and 100 billion euros per year,” as Sébastien Lecornu had said when he was in office. But she refers to the choices that will be made during the 2027 presidential election.

For now, the minister recalls that since 2017, there has been “a doubling of the defense budget,” “a significant effort,” and emphasizes above all the effort to come with this update, whether for ammunition (+8.5 billion euros, with a total of 26 billion euros for ammunition over the period) or for drones, with the need to develop our capacities for “anti-drone warfare.” The text provides for “8.4 billion euros” on “dronization.” “We see that new threats require responses,” says Catherine Vautrin.

The text plans to start the development, for 1 billion euros, of conventional ballistic capacity to “strike deep, that is, beyond 2500 km.” That is roughly the distance between France and Moscow. In terms of aviation, the development of the new Rafale F5 standard, as the Scaf is far from coming to fruition. Despite the shortcomings of this updated LPM, as pointed out by the chairman of the committee, the executive spares the defense budget, when others must tighten their belts. As Catherine Vautrin says, “peace has a cost, sovereignty too.”