Emmanuel Macron, President of France, announced that on the deck of the multi-purpose frigate “Auverne,” he witnessed the launch of a new ballistic missile, “M51.3,” from the nuclear submarine “Le Vigilant.” He called this technical achievement a sign of France’s deterrence capability and added: “To be free, you must be a cause of fear, and to be a cause of fear, you must be powerful.”

Macron said he has started modernizing France’s military capabilities since 2017, and that the budget for the armed forces will double over 10 years. According to him, future strategic submarines are under construction, and the program for supersonic, maneuverable strategic missiles for the air deterrence sector has been launched this year.