Even U.S. STUNNED by What France Plans To Do with its NUKES!

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Feb 26, 2025 #militarydevelopments #themilitaryshow #militaryanalysis

The threat of nuclear war in Europe has just escalated dramatically. France is reportedly preparing to deploy nuclear-armed fighter jets to Germany, creating a powerful European nuclear shield—and the U.S. is stunned. With Trump threatening to pull U.S. troops from Europe and NATO’s future uncertain, France and Germany are taking matters into their own hands. Their bold move is a direct response to Putin’s nuclear threats, but also a signal to Washington that Europe is ready to defend itself—with or without American help. How will Russia react? Will the UK join France’s nuclear plan? And is this the beginning of a new European military strategy that no longer depends on the U.S.?
TRANSCRIPT

The chances of nuclear war erupting  in Europe have just skyrocketed. 

0:04

France has just suggested that it’s willing  to make a game-changing move that will see its  

0:08

nuclear weapons give Russian President Vladimir  Putin something new to think about. And it’s not  

0:14

just France- Germany is set to become a key part  of a bold new move to create a powerful nuclear  

0:20

umbrella designed to protect all of Europe. The U.S. is stunned. 

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But just what does France have up its sleeve?  Why is it changing the way it uses its nuclear  

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weapons? And what does the United States  have to do with this brash new move? 

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The initial news of France’s plans came in a  February 24 report published by The Telegraph.  

0:40

It says that France is planning to deploy  fighter jets armed with nuclear weapons to  

0:45

German military bases to provide Europe with a  stronger nuclear shield. The move comes amidst  

0:51

a lot of change happening in Europe at the  moment. Many on the continent are worried  

0:54

that U.S. President Donald Trump is inching ever  closer to withdrawing the 100,000 or so soldiers  

1:00

his country deploys in Europe. There are also big  changes in Germany to consider. On February 23,  

1:06

Friedrich Merz won Germany’s national elections.  He's expected to become the country’s new  

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Chancellor in the coming weeks, and he’s calling  on the rest of Europe to up its defense game. 

1:16

Putin is too much of a threat, Merz believes. The rest of Europe needs to show  

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him that it can equal his threat. The Telegraph’s report leads us to several  

1:25

other questions, chief among them being why France  is choosing to consider deploying nuclear weapons  

1:30

in other countries now. There are several  

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potential answers to that question. First, this isn’t an idea that has come out of the  

1:36

blue. The Warzone, or TWZ, points out that France  has been discussing the possibility of creating  

1:42

a European nuclear umbrella with Germany for some  time now. Merz has also been vocal in his support  

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of a greater deterrent against Russia. France’s  President Emmanuel Macron met with the soon-to-be  

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German Chancellor before his February 24 meeting  with Donald Trump at the White House. It’s unknown  

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exactly what took place during the discussion  between Macron and Merz. There was probably some  

2:03

congratulating of Germany's incoming Chancellor  involved. However, Macron likely traveled to speak  

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with Merz because defense was on his mind. Merz seems to suggest as much. 

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Before meeting with Macron, he said, “We need  to have discussions with both the British and  

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the French – the two European nuclear powers –  about whether nuclear sharing or at least nuclear  

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security from the United Kingdom and France  could also apply to us.” In other words, Merz  

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is worried about Germany’s future. The country  doesn’t have nuclear weapons of its own. That  

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goes for every European country outside of the  U.K. and France. The idea of sharing now is about  

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ensuring Europe creates a stronger united front  against what many see as a looming Russian threat. 

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And that brings us to the second reason  France is set to make its bold nuclear move: 

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It wants to send a warning to Putin. Speaking to The Telegraph, an unnamed  

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French official said, “Posting a few French  nuclear jet fighters in Germany should not be  

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difficult and would send a strong message." That  message would be directed at Putin as a direct  

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response to the many nuclear threats Russia’s  leader has made during his invasion of Ukraine. 

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Since February 2022, Russia has placed its  nuclear weapons on heightened alert, along with  

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testing and deploying new nuclear capabilities and  threatening to resume nuclear testing according to  

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the U.K.’s House of Commons. Putin also suspended  Russia’s participation in the 2010 New Strategic  

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Arms Reduction Treaty, or New Start, in 2023.  That treaty, which Russia signed jointly with  

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the United States, places a limit of 1,550 nuclear  warheads on Moscow. That’s 30% less than the 2,200  

3:37

limit set in the previous SORT treaty. It also  includes restrictions on how both the U.S. and  

3:42

Russia can deploy and use their missiles,  bombers, and nuclear weapon launchers. Now,  

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it’s out of the window, at least temporarily,  as Russia battles to overcome Ukraine. 

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The biggest European concern related to  Putin’s nuclear threats came in November  

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2024. Putin chose that month to sign a decree  updating Russia’s formal nuclear doctrine. That  

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decree uncoincidentally came immediately after the  United States approved Ukraine’s use of U.S.-made  

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long-range missiles on Russian territory. Among  the changes to Russia’s doctrine was language  

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suggesting that Russia “reserves the right” to  use nuclear weapons as a response to conventional  

4:20

weapons that it believes represent a “critical  threat to its sovereignty and territorial  

4:25

integrity,” according to the Arms Control  Association, or ACA. The policy also says that  

4:30

Russia may use its nukes if it receives reliable  information about incoming ballistic missiles. 

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In short, Russia gave itself the  right to use nukes if its enemies  

4:39

used conventional weapons on its territory. Worse yet for Europe, language in the new  

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doctrine suggests that the right to nuclear weapon  usage extends to the allies of countries that  

4:49

supply Russia’s enemies with those conventional  weapons. That puts almost the entirety of Europe  

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in Russia’s nuclear crosshairs. The European  Union, or EU, alone, of which Germany and  

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France are members, has contributed almost $139  billion in aid to Ukraine since Putin launched  

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his invasion. There’s also another $120.8  billion waiting to be allocated. Most of  

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this money has gone toward purchasing weapons  Ukraine is using right now to attack Russia,  

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both in Ukraine and on Russia’s territory. Based on these actions, the conditions for  

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triggering Putin’s new nuclear  doctrine has already been met. 

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France’s bold move is a direct response  to Putin’s nuclear rhetoric. Yes,  

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Russia has access to nuclear weapons  and is threatening to use them. However,  

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Europe isn’t helpless on that front. By moving  some of its nukes to Germany, France places them  

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within closer range to nuclear rocket Russia. If  Putin launches a nuclear attack, France’s latest  

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move means that Europe is primed to respond. But why is France choosing  

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to send this message now? We hinted at the reason earlier,  

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which also brings us to the third answer to  why France has chosen now to make its move: 

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Europe may not be able to rely on the  U.S. nuclear threat for much longer. 

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The U.S. is the only country in the world that  comes close to matching Russia’s nuclear threat  

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when it comes to pure numbers. According to the  ACA, the U.S. has stockpiles of 5,225 nukes.  

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Russia is a little ahead – it has 5,580 nuclear  weapons – but the two are essentially equal when  

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it comes to pure destructive force. That matters  because the United States has long guaranteed  

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Europe’s safety by stationing a small collection  of its nukes on the continent. The majority of  

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those warheads are held at a military base in  Germany, which is home to around 100 missiles. 

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Therein lies the problem for Germany. In the past, it has essentially presented  

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a nuclear threat to Russia by virtue of  America’s presence in the country. That  

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threat was reinforced by America’s membership  in NATO. Article 5 of NATO’s charter means every  

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member of the organization is duty-bound to come  to the defense of any other member nation that is  

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attacked by another country. If Russia launched  its nuclear weapons at Germany, France, or almost  

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any other European nations, it would likely  have been met with U.S. nuclear missile strikes. 

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Only, that isn’t guaranteed anymore. According to  Newsweek, Trump is already planning to withdraw  

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20,000 of the 100,000 soldiers the U.S. has  stationed in Europe, cutting America’s forces  

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on the continent by a fifth. Trump’s first  stint as U.S. President also saw him make  

7:14

numerous threats that he would withdraw the  U.S. from NATO. At the time, how much fellow  

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NATO countries paid toward their own defense was  Trump's big issue. Most weren’t meeting NATO’s 2%  

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of gross domestic product, or GDP, guideline  on spending, leading Trump to claim that the  

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U.S. was essentially paying for Europe’s defense. Trump wasn’t necessarily wrong with these claims.  

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And though he’s pulled back from his talk of  quitting NATO in his second term as President,  

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you have to believe that all of these threats play  on Europe’s collective mind. Many on the continent  

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don’t trust America’s President. They worry that  he might pull even more American troops out of  

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Europe after the initial 20,000. If that happens,  what does it mean for the U.S.-made nuclear  

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weapons stored in Germany? Do they stay where  they are? The nukes fall under the NATO umbrella,  

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but that might not mean much if Trump starts  considering withdrawing the U.S. from the  

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collective defense organization again. France's move is a shock to the American  

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system as much as it is to the Russian  one. It's Europe's not-so-subtle way of  

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telling Trump that the continent doesn't need him. The United States has also been making moves over  

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the last few weeks that trigger alarm bells in  European heads. On February 3, Trump hinted that  

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he might follow up the 25% tariffs he’s levying on  Mexico and Canada with more tariffs aimed at the  

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EU. He told the BBC that EU tariffs could happen  “pretty soon,” adding “They don’t take our cars,  

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they don’t take our farm products, they take  almost nothing and we take everything from  

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them. Millions of cars, tremendous amounts of  food and farm products.” Implementing tariffs  

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on the EU would be Trump’s way of punishing  Europe for not buying enough from the United  

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States. It’s also worth mentioning that the EU  has condemned Trump’s decision to levy tariffs  

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against Mexico and Canada and says that it  will “respond firmly” if it becomes a target. 

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More signs of fractures between Europe  and the U.S. came on February 24. 

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On that date, the United Nations General  Assembly, or UNGA, proposed a resolution  

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calling for a comprehensive resolution to  Russia’s Ukraine invasion. The United States  

9:08

drafted its own resolution, titled “The Path  to Peace,” that also called for an immediate  

9:13

end to the hostilities while placing no blame on  either side for starting the conflict. However,  

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it was a UNGA resolution that contained strong  language condemning Russia’s actions that was  

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the key talking point. The U.S. voted against  that resolution, which many saw as a refusal by  

9:29

Trump to condemn Putin for his Ukraine invasion. The U.S. joined an interesting cast of countries  

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with that decision. China, India, Iran, and  Iraq all refused to vote on the resolution,  

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which is actually a more moderate take on the  conflict than that provided by the U.S. America  

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was one of only 18 nations to vote against  the resolution, with others including Russia  

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(obviously), Israel, Sudan, Hungary, and Belarus.  The latter two are among the few European nations  

9:54

that are unwilling to condemn Putin, likely  because they hold close ties with Russia. 

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From threats of NATO withdrawal to his refusal to  condemn Putin, Trump seems to be sending a clear  

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message to Europe – he’s not on the continent’s  side. At least, not as much as Europe expects him  

10:09

to be. And with these fractures creating the  possibility that the U.S. might withdraw its  

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troops and its nukes from Europe, the reasons  behind France’s bold move become clearer. 

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It needs to send nuclear weapons  to Germany to make up for the  

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American nukes that Europe might lose. Of course, none of this is guaranteed.  

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The U.S. may not withdraw its nuclear weapons  at all. However, France’s decision indicates  

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that many on the continent are now taking the  need to protect themselves, with or without  

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American involvement, far more seriously. That’s the fourth answer to the “why now”  

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question. France is planning on shipping nuclear  weapons to Germany because it believes it’s about  

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time Europe started taking care of itself. Macron  hinted at this during his joint interview with  

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Trump at the White House on February 24.  In addition to interrupting Trump numerous  

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times to correct him on various issues, such  as how much Europe has collectively spent in  

10:58

Ukraine, Macron also called on Europe to do more  to protect the continent. “I’m here as well after  

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discussions with all my colleagues, to say that  Europe is willing to step up to be a stronger  

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partner, to do more in defense and security  for its continent, and…to be engaged on trade,  

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economy, and investments.” Remember that Macron  met with incoming German Chancellor Friedrich  

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Merz before this press conference with Trump. Perhaps “stepping up” is Macron’s subtle way of  

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saying that nuclear weapons are coming to Germany. There are other signs that Europe is pulling  

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itself away from its reliance on the U.S. Defense  spending across the continent is on the rise,  

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hitting an average of 2.2% of GDP in 2024. Several  European countries have already committed to going  

11:37

much further than that. The Baltic states of  Latvia and Estonia plan to hit 5% GDP spending  

11:43

on defense in 2025, with Poland not far behind  at 4.7% of GDP. There are also suggestions that  

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Europe is quietly working on plans to send troops  into Ukraine at some point in the future. Whether  

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those troops would be a peacekeeping force or  a united European army designed to deter Putin  

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isn’t clear. But what we can take from all of this  is that France’s bold move to send nuclear weapons  

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into Germany is part of a wider plan. Europe is getting stronger. 

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It has to, given the threat Russia poses and  the wildcard status of the U.S. right now. 

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The question now is simple: Will France’s nuclear weapons be enough? 

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It’s tough to gauge. On the surface, France  is nowhere near Russia when it comes to the  

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sheer volume of nuclear weapons it has at its  disposal. We touched on this earlier with the  

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ACA stats suggesting that Russia has 5,580 nuclear  weapons. France is a long way behind. It has 290  

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nukes in its military stockpile, with none of  those weapons being strategically deployed.  

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That means all 290 of France’s warheads are  currently assigned for potential use if the  

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need arises rather than already being ready to  go on ballistic missiles and in bomber bases. 

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Sending nuclear weapons to  Germany may change all of that. 

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We also have to consider how Fra nce’s nukes would  be used and what types they have available. TWZ  

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provides some answers there. It says the majority  of the nuclear weapons that would make their way  

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to Germany would be mounted on Air-Sol Moyenne  Portée-A, or ASMP-A, missiles. These are  

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supersonic land attack cruise missiles that are  launched from fighter jets to hit targets on the  

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ground. Each is capable of carrying a 440-pound  payload. That payload can include TN-80 and TN-81  

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nuclear warheads, which each have 300-kiloton  yields. For context, this is one of the most  

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common sizes of nuclear weapons, with 300 kilotons  being roughly equivalent to 300,000 tons of TNT. 

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They’re extremely dangerous nukes. The American Academy of Arts and  

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Sciences says that a single 300-kiloton nuke  would create a one-mile-wide fireball that  

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reaches 200 million degrees at its center. Half  a second after detonation, all streets and metal  

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surfaces within three-quarters of a mile would  dissolve. A massive blast wave would follow,  

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generating winds of up to 750 miles per hour that  crush buildings and send vehicles flying. Three  

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miles away from the blast zone, the clothes  on people’s backs would burst into flames,  

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with any exposed skin suffering immediate  third-degree burns. Ultimately, the wide-area  

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fire generated by just one of these nukes would  have a radius of up to 4.5 miles and would destroy  

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an entire area of up to 65 square miles – more  than enough to devastate almost any Russian city. 

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The ASMP-A missile used to send these nuclear  warheads to their destinations is also capable  

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of traveling up to 310 miles. That’s not an  especially long range. The distance between  

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Berlin and Moscow is about 1,000 miles,  meaning France couldn’t just launch its  

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nukes from the safety of German territory. It would need the second part of the package  

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it’s planning to send: The Dassault Rafale. 

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France’s main multirole fighter is  capable of reaching a top speed of  

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863 miles per hour, though its approach speed  drops to a little under 140 miles per hour. It  

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has a 50,000-foot service ceiling and a combat  range of up to 1,150 miles. That’s enough to  

15:01

get the jet from Berlin to Moscow, though not  quite enough to secure its safe passage back.  

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TWZ says that France and Germany would likely  use aerial tankers – which are massive aircraft  

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used to refuel other planes while they’re in  the air – to ensure the Rafales can make their  

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dangerous journeys before returning to base. Better yet, none of France’s nuclear weapons  

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fall under the NATO banner. The ASMP-A is a  sovereign capability, says TWZ, which means it  

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isn’t part of the “dual-key arrangement” that led  to the U.S. supplying its B61 nuclear warheads to  

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Europe. France can do whatever it pleases with its  nukes in terms of deploying and using them without  

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worrying about NATO’s guidelines. That’s good news for Europe. 

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However, there’s another wildcard within France’s  bold nuclear plan that we haven’t discussed yet: 

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The United Kingdom. Will it get involved and  

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also supply Germany with nuclear weapons to  use as a frontline deterrent against Putin?  

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It would be a powerful ally if it did. The U.K.  has 225 nukes in its military stockpiles, which  

15:58

would almost double Europe’s deterrent against  Russia. The country’s Trident warheads can also be  

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launched from submarines, which delivers a second  option in terms of how Europe could attack Russia. 

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However, the U.K. hasn’t confirmed anything yet.  There are signs that it might be willing to join  

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France in contributing to Europe’s new nuclear  shield, though. During a visit to Kyiv on Monday,  

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former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed  that there was a “moral case” for Ukraine to have  

16:22

its own nuclear weapons. Current Prime Minister  Keir Starmer has also sided with European leaders  

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ahead of Trump in calling for a resolution  to the Ukraine war. The U.K. was among the  

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nations that signed the UN resolution that the  U.S. voted against. Plus, Britain has indicated  

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a desire to sign a defense and security pact  with the EU, which would be vital given that  

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the U.K. is no longer part of that collective. France’s move may be designed to get the U.K.  

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involved, too. An unnamed diplomat who spoke to  The Telegraph says, “If the French move to place  

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a nuclear deterrent in Germany, it would indeed  increase pressure on the Brits to follow suit.  

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My understanding is that on the CDU – or Counter  Disinformation Unit - side, the thinking is we  

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need a nuclear umbrella, we want to have a say  in this, we should be ready to talk about this,  

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and we are willing to pay for it.” The caveat to that claim is that  

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the U.S. would have to withdraw its nukes  from Germany first before the U.K. sends  

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any from its stockpile, says the diplomat. Perhaps that’s the case for France’s plan  

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too. The Telegraph notes that it’s unknown just  how serious the discussions about moving French  

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nuclear weapons to Germany are. Talks may be in  the early stages. It may also be months, or even  

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years, before we see any movement. So much seems  to depend on what the U.S. does with its nukes. 

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One thing is for certain. Putin can’t rely on the U.S.  

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pulling its nukes to minimize the threat  Europe poses to his imperialistic ambitions  

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anymore. France is willing to replace those  nuclear weapons with warheads of its own,  

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showing Putin and Trump that Europe is taking  what happens on its continent very seriously. 

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But what do you think about France’s bold  move? Is it sending a message to the U.S.  

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with its nuclear plans? How will Putin respond?  Let us know what you think in the comments and  

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