French president lays out nuclear strategy in address

PARIS (AA): French President Emmanuel Macron Friday morning addressed the trainees of military academy outside Paris, as well as the military community, giving a speech on the strategy of defense and deterrence.

In what is expected to be a milepost, Macron will address the threats posed by nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea, stepping in proactively to a shifting chess game on the world stage.

Macron has earlier raised his concerns on the recent actions of the U.S., as it pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Weapons Treaty last year.

With the U.K. now absent from the EU, France remains the bloc’s only nuclear power. Macron has made the security of Europe a pillar of his presidency to date.

Macron is also expected to spell out the nation’s nuclear position in light of global developments, and to recommit France to nuclear deterrence. A significant element of the speech is expected to be his devotion to nuclear non-proliferation, especially given the tentative state of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

In 2018, Macron committed France until 2035 to a resumption of its nuclear powers through both naval and air forces.