Emmanuel Macron spelled out a pivot in France's nuclear strategy. Here's why it's so significant

In this article USB Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech next to nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine submarine "Le Temeraire" - S617 during his visit to the Nuclear Submarine Navy Base of Ile Longue in Crozon, north-western France on March 2, 2026. (Photo by Yoan VALAT / POOL / AFP via Getty Images) Yoan Valat | Afp | Getty Images "To be free, one must be feared. To be feared, one must be powerful," French President Emmanuel Macron said during a landmark speech this week on nuclear deterrence. France is one of only two nuclear powers in Europe and, unlike the U.K., operates a nuclear weapons system entirely independent of the U.S. As the U.S. and Israel continued to strike Iran, and European leaders appeared divided and sidelined as they scrambled to react, Macron delivered a speech on Monday that was "the most significant update to French nuclear deterrence policy in 30 years," Bruno Tertrais, deputy director of the Foundation for Strategic Research, said in a thread on X. Speaking from a naval base in Brittany in front of a submarine, "Le Témérair," Macron's 45-minute speech laid out what he called a new "forward deterrence" doctrine for France. Macron said France would increase its number of nuclear warheads and promised more cooperation with European allies that have expressed interest. He said several European countries — Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden and Denmark — could take part in exercises of France's air-launched nuclear capacity and France's nuclear bombers could be stationed at their air bases. Macron also said France would stop disclosing the figures for its nuclear arsenal. watch now VIDEO 13:25 13:25 Why France's economy is stuck CNBC Explains "The world is becoming more difficult, and recent events have demonstrated this once again," he said in the speech. "We must strengthen our nuclear deterrent in the face of the combination of threats, and we must ...