France is present in the region to defend its interests or the interests of countries with which it has agreements. The Charles de Gaulle ship has been deployed in the eastern Mediterranean for a month to try to deter and prevent attacks from Tehran on France’s allies. All of this comes at a cost for the country. BFMTV has done the math and here is how much the war in the Middle East costs France.
Our colleagues conducted a simulation of deployment costs using figures provided by the Senate and the Court of Auditors. Among the rapid inventory of forces present on the ground, we find: personnel deployed on naval and air bases, the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, the eight frigates costing 10,000 euros per day, the 20,000 euros per hour flight of the Rafale, and the missiles costing between one and three million euros each.
Related: How much did the rescue operation of the American fighter pilot in Iran cost?
According to BFMTV’s estimates of the cost of one month of conflict, the 5,000 military men and women, paid between 1,500 euros and 3,000 euros per month, represent 11 million euros in cost. Always calculated per month, the frigates represent 22 million euros, the use of 6 Rafales for three hours costs 30 million euros. As a result, over a month, the budget for France’s external operations within the war in Iran would be 135 million euros.
A sum not to be compared with that of the United States during the same conflict, which is 800 million euros every day for war! This cost is also to be put into perspective since France’s annual budget for external operations amounts to one billion euros. Over a month, the cost of France’s external operations is higher than the usual average expenses but is nothing extraordinary in times of conflict.
