Toulon at the center of Defense strategy

Toulon, Europe’s premier military port, has been a cornerstone of the national defense apparatus for decades. In the Var region, the sector claims around 30,000 direct jobs, 13,000 indirect jobs, and close to 2,500 defense-related companies. Toulon is a major strategic asset for the sector at the national level. The area is expected to play a central role in the government’s power-building efforts. This local dynamic is part of a precise national and international framework.

The workforce is set to be further strengthened in line with the update of the 2024-2030 Military Planning Act. Following commitments made by France at the NATO summit in The Hague in June 2025, President Emmanuel Macron announced in July that defense spending would reach 2.5% of the Gross Domestic Product by 2030, approximately 76.3 billion euros. This translates to a direct consequence of an increase in the defense budget by 6.7 billion euros in 2026, reaching 57.1 billion euros. The budget is currently under review by the National Assembly’s Defense Commission, with a vote scheduled for May 4.

To translate this orientation into industry, Minister of Labor and Solidarity Jean-Pierre Farandou visited Toulon on January 17 to announce the creation of a special organization within France Travail under the Defense Ministry’s command to assist companies in finding the skills and resources they need. Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin also visited the department a week later, emphasizing the need to be more European in the industrial strategy. She highlighted the importance of the Defense Industrial and Technological Base as vital for industrial survival and a tool of power.

These positions will be reinforced at the Toulon Defense Event, where over 80 exhibitors will showcase more than 200 defense-related professions through various activities like engaging with professionals, flight simulators, drone demonstrations, and naval forces devices. The main goal of the event is to promote over 5,000 job opportunities in the sector as the increase in defensive capacities depends on skilled labor.

This operation, predominantly political, aligns with the government’s budgetary guidelines and may lead to budget cuts in essential but vulnerable areas like healthcare, education, and culture.