President Emmanuel Macron defended a 6.5 billion euro budget increase in defense spending through 2027 to strengthen national security.

Freedom has never been so threatened, President Emmanuel Macron said, preparing France for an era in which it may no longer be able to count on the U.S.

France may be the main military power in the EU -- but is it really in a position to respond to new security threats? And what resources do the armed forces have to meet security challenges or any wars of the future?

France had aimed to double its defence budget from 2017 levels by 2030. However, Macron pledged to reach the target by 2027. A military budget that stood at 32 billion euros ($37.40 billion) in 2017 will rise to 64 billion euros by 2027, with an additional 3.5 billion euros allocated for next year and another 3 billion euros in 2027.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that France would increase its defence budget more quickly than originally planned, announcing additional spending of €3. 5 billion ($4 billion) for 2026 and €3 billion for 2027 amid military threats from Russia.

Europe’s last military pigeon loft is at Mont Valerien outside Paris.

France and the UK intend to increase the number of the Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF) to 50,000 troops for the future deployment in Ukraine as part of the Coalition of the Willing, stated French President Emmanuel Macron during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer,

The latest Franco-British move is the closest the continent has come to such a strategic capability, at least on paper.