European nuclear deterrence: The French initiative
In a new episode of NUPI's podcast The World Stage, you will learn more about the French nuclear initiative.
In this episode of The World Stage, NUPI researcher Gine Lund Bolling is joined by Astrid Chevreuil (visiting fellow at CSIS) and Fabian Hoffmann (phd candidate at the Oslo Nuclear Project) for a conversation on European security in a time marked by war, nuclear threats, and growing strategic uncertainty.
Listen to the podcast episode below, or listen to it on Spotify, Apple podcasts or Acast:
Significant shift
Against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and increasing doubts about US security guarantees, the discussion takes its point of departure from Emmanuel Macron’s speech on French nuclear policy, delivered at Île Longue on 2 March 2026. Macron’s speech marks the most significant shift in French nuclear policy in decades. France signals that it will increase the size of its nuclear arsenal for the first time since 1992, while also withholding more information about its capabilities and overall stockpile as part of a move towards greater strategic ambiguity.
Building on this they examine what the announced changes to France’s nuclear strategy entail and what implications they may have for European security. A central question in the episode is what it actually means for France to “build up” its nuclear arsenal: is it about numbers, capabilities, doctrine – or a combination of all three? The conversation also explores Macron’s emphasis on “forward deterrence” and how this, together with a closer integration of conventional and nuclear capabilities, may reshape Europe’s deterrence architecture.
Germany and Norway
The discussion further examines Germany’s role, including the establishment of a Franco-German nuclear cooperation format, and what this could mean for burden-sharing and strategic autonomy in Europe.
Finally, the focus turns to Norway. Drawing on Norway’s long-standing base policy and statements rejecting the peacetime deployment of nuclear weapons on its territory, they discuss how Norway can navigate a European security landscape in which nuclear deterrence is once again gaining prominence.