French
President Emmanuel Macron has detailed plans for a major boost to the
armed forces, to meet modern threats including Russia's war in Ukraine.
The next seven-year budget would increase to €413bn (£360bn) from 2024-30, up from €295bn, he said.
First
France had to repair and restock its armed forces, then transform them,
he told soldiers at Mont-de-Marsan airbase in south-west France.
"We must not do the same with more, we have to do better and differently."
Russia's
invasion of Ukraine has prompted Western countries to review military
spending - and in many cases, increase it significantly.
Meanwhile,
the Kremlin has outlined plans to increase the number of combat
soldiers from 1.15 million to 1.5 million. President Vladimir Putin said
this week that Russia's powerful defence industry left him in no doubt
that victory in Ukraine was assured.
President
Macron acknowledged on Friday there were no more post-Cold War "peace
dividends" now that Russia had invaded Ukraine, so the aim was to renew a
military that protected France's freedom, security, prosperity and
place in the world.
Key
to his reforms are a 60% hike in the military intelligence budget,
adapting to "high-intensity" conflict with investment in drones,
cyber-defence and improved air defences.
"We need to be one war ahead," he warned.
France's
failure to foresee the Russian invasion last February cost the head of
military intelligence, Gen Eric Vidaud, his job. The armed forces chief
admitted at the time that US and UK intelligence had read the situation
correctly.
France
has stepped up its military aid for Ukraine in recent weeks, with plans
to send AMX-10 RC "light combat tanks", but its supply of weapons to
Kyiv is seen as lagging behind other European allies.
Last
year, France ended an eight-year anti-jihadist operation in the Sahel
region of Africa in what was widely seen as a failure.
President
Macron said France would have to rethink its alliances while remaining a
leader in Europe and a reliable Nato ally, and deepening its
relationships with Germany, the UK, Italy and Spain.
The Russian war has changed defence priorities across Europe, with Sweden and Finland
announcing steep increases in their military budgets as part of their
bid to join Nato. Members of the Western military alliance have agreed
to spend at least 2% of economic output on defence from 2024.
Days after the invasion in February 2022, Germany pledged an extra €100bn of the budget to the armed forces.
In June, the UK promised under previous Prime Minister Boris Johnson to increase spending to 2.5% of GDP.
Last month, Japan announced a dramatic rise in its defence budget,
because of what Prime Minister Kishida Fumio warned was the "most
severe and complex security environment since World War Two". It cited
threats from China and North Korea.
