France holds its position.
A month after the start of the war in Ukraine, and as Russia seeks ways to break its operational stalemate, signs of tension give a nuclear dimension to the crisis.
“
We have an internal security doctrine, it is public, you can read there all the reasons for the use of nuclear weapons.
And if it is an existential threat to our country, then they can be used in accordance with our doctrine
,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday March 22.
This is not the first time that Russia has raised this threat.
Opposite, the Western powers say as little as possible, so as not to fuel the escalation, but they are preparing.
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On Wednesday, France carried out a "
qualification firing
" of the renovated improved medium-range air-to-ground strategic missile (ASMPA), devoid of its warhead.
The ASMPA will equip the planes of the strategic air forces, those which ensure the aerial deterrence of France.
"This armament program responds to the will of the President of the Republic who has undertaken for these forces to take the decisions necessary to maintain their operational credibility over time, at the level of strict sufficiency required by the international environment.
“Explains the Ministry of the Armed Forces.
In the current context, this test supervised by the Directorate General for Armaments, is not trivial.
The United States, on the other hand, had postponed a test firing of intercontinental ballistic missiles called Minuteman III in early March.
The dimension of their deterrence is not the same, and the exercise could have contributed to fueling the tension.
Westerners are no less prepared for this.
For the first time, the French navy has deployed three nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SNLE) at sea, according to the
Air et Cosmos
newspaper .
The information was neither denied nor confirmed by the staff.
In terms of deterrence, no communication is authorized, to avoid any error of assessment.
If the FAS are the visible part of deterrence, and allow a “
strategic dialogue
” by sending messages, the SNLE constitute the invisible part of the French force.
Undetectable under the sea, they ensure France the possibility of responding to any nuclear attack.
By strengthening its posture, France is showing that it is ready for any eventuality.
But she makes sure to master the climbing.
There are still many “
runs on the parrot ladder
” before we reach the threshold of confrontation.
Russia knows and decrypts the messages.
She too, beyond the declarations which aim to frighten, is supposed to master this language.
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