France intends to further increase defence spending, Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu told the broadcaster France Inter on Thursday.
The defence budget needs to be increased from the current annual €50.5 billion ($54.6 billion) to €90 billion, Lecornu said.
The evening before, French President Emmanuel Macron had announced a further increase in French defence spending, although he did not give any figures.
In a televised address, Macron said the threat posed to Europe by Russia required additional investment and new budgetary decisions.
“I have asked the government to work on this as quickly as possible,” Macron said, adding that this would involve new investments requiring the mobilization of both private and public financial resources, without raising taxes.
According to the defence minister, France needs to speed up its efforts “not by going in all directions,” but by taking steps truly effective in the military field.
“Our navy is lacking at least three frigates, our air force is missing about 20 Rafale fighter jets” and the army needs to have enough artillery to conduct strikes deep into enemy territory.
Investments in electronic warfare and the militarization of space are also necessary, he added.
Around two years ago, Macron initiated a significant increase in France’s military spending to €400 billion for the period 2024 to 2030. Including the increases since 2019, this would mean a doubling of France’s military budget within a decade.
