Amid concerns among European leaders regarding U.S. President Donald Trump’s commitment to the continent’s defense, France is reportedly considering deploying French Air and Space Force Rafale fighter-bombers equipped with nuclear weapons in Germany. This move aims to send a strong deterrence message, particularly directed at Russia. The development coincides with newly elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s calls for European partners to share their nuclear capabilities.
The news originates from a report by the British publication The Telegraph, which cites anonymous French officials stating: “Deploying a few French nuclear-capable fighter jets in Germany should not be difficult and would send a strong message.” Additionally, sources suggest that there are also voices in Berlin advocating for the United Kingdom to join the initiative.
This is a significant issue, especially considering recent high-level meetings where the U.S. administration hinted that Washington may no longer be willing to guarantee European security under NATO as it has in the past. It is worth noting that the U.S. is estimated to maintain a network of over a hundred nuclear missiles in Europe, many of them in Germany. A potential reduction in their presence would have a major impact on the strategic balance in the region.
Forced to reconsider their plans, with the war in Ukraine still ongoing, European leaders have had to engage in uncomfortable discussions regarding their own defense strategies. French President Emmanuel Macron has been among the most proactive in this regard, as evidenced by his recent meetings with Donald Trump to present his plans for European defense. These meetings have been marked by disputes over European defense spending and differing views on the future of the war in Ukraine.
For now, it is important to note that France’s nuclear arsenal is currently under Paris’s sole control and not under NATO’s command, raising significant discussions about a potential deployment in Germany.
For the newly elected German government under Chancellor Merz, the issue is clear: U.S. nuclear protection can no longer be taken for granted. Reflecting his concerns in recent statements, the German leader remarked: “We need to have conversations with both the British and the French (Editor’s note: the two European nuclear powers) about whether nuclear sharing or at least nuclear security from the UK and France could also apply to us.” He further stated that President Trump is “indifferent to Europe’s fate.”
From London, reports also indicate a favorable view of the potential deployment of nuclear weapons in Germany in case of a U.S. withdrawal. Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer has already aligned himself with his European neighbors regarding negotiations for peace in Ukraine, distancing himself from Trump’s more negotiation-friendly stance toward Moscow. If France proceeds with deploying its nuclear weapons in Germany, the report suggests that the UK may face pressure to take similar steps.
When reviewing the current nuclear capabilities of Britain and France, it is worth mentioning that, according to SIPRI data, they possess an estimated 150 and 300 nuclear warheads, respectively. France has the ability to deploy them both from Rafale fighter jets armed with ASMP-A long-range missiles and from its Navy’s submarines, providing greater flexibility compared to the UK’s deterrence, which relies solely on submarine-launched missiles.
Expanding on the topic, specialized media report that France’s nuclear assets available to the Strategic Air Forces (FAS) are concentrated at Saint-Dizier-Robinson Air Base, with storage facilities also located at Istres and Avord bases. Currently, the FAS operates 50 Rafale B fighter-bombers, supported by Airbus A330 MRTT Phénix aircraft for aerial refueling.
However, these resources would be insufficient to provide the same level of protection as the U.S. network still in place. Among the critics of the potential measure, Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, stated: “France and the UK are already nuclear members of NATO, and while the French arsenal is officially independent, it is unrealistic to imagine that France would remain on the sidelines of a European conflict that escalates to nuclear weapons (…) France has fewer than 50 air-launched missiles, and ‘offering’ their deployment in Germany would immediately raise broader questions about Europe’s nuclear posture.”
Finally, a potential withdrawal of U.S. nuclear weapons from Europe would raise questions about Germany’s own plans to modernize its Air Force with stealth F-35 fighters, which are intended to be capable of carrying U.S. B61 nuclear bombs stored in the country. Currently, this task is performed by aging Tornado jets. At the same time, investments are being made to upgrade Büchel Air Base, including significant runway renovations to accommodate the arrival of the fifth-generation aircraft. Similar concerns are also being raised in Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands.
Images used for illustrative purposes.
You may also like: France prepares to complete the delivery of 12 Rafale F3R fighters transferred to the Croatian Air Force
