Macron invokes Europe’s capacity for self-defense in his final address to the armed forces

Paris – 13.07.2026: President Emmanuel Macron, in his final traditional address to the French armed forces ahead of the national holiday, highlighted the defense readiness of France and Europe. At the Hotel de Brienne, he said that peace remained the objective. Freedom and the international legal order must, however, be defended in a serious situation. His reference to the possible price of blood concerned the willingness of soldiers to make sacrifices and the return of war to Europe since Russia’s attack on Ukraine in 2022.

The speech was the tenth and final of these annual addresses by Macron as president before July 14. It was therefore also marked by an assessment of his two terms in office. The president pointed out that the strengthening of the armed forces announced since 2017 had been implemented. According to sources in the defense sector, the military budget rose during this period from 32 billion euros to more than 57 billion euros annually. Further developments, however, depend on future political and budgetary decisions.

Macron explicitly placed the national military buildup in a European framework. European states must jointly expand their security capabilities without abandoning their respective particularities. He advocated investment in the defense industry, technological autonomy and joint projects. In doing so, he opposed a nationalism that prevented cooperation between European partners. His message was aimed at strengthening Europe’s capacity to act within the Western alliance.

France’s strategic situation has changed fundamentally since the start of the war in Ukraine. Paris has strengthened its military presence on NATO’s eastern flank while placing greater emphasis on the role of French nuclear deterrence in European security. France remains the only member of the European Union with its own nuclear weapons. This capability gives the country particular weight, but also raises European partners’ expectations of its political and military leadership.

Macron’s assessment nevertheless remains ambivalent. Rising defense spending has strengthened procurement, training and industrial capacity. At the same time, the armed forces face considerable strain: deployments in Europe, the Middle East and overseas compete for personnel, equipment and ammunition stocks. The withdrawal of French troops from several African countries between 2022 and 2025 has also exposed the limits of the former intervention model.

With the address, Macron focused less on specific new decisions than on a political guideline for the period after his presidency. France should preserve its military capacity to act, deepen European cooperation and safeguard its strategic independence. The appeal for willingness to make sacrifices represents an attempt to justify the defense burdens that have been rising for years as a consequence of a permanently deteriorated security situation.