Preparatory work for the Military Programming Act (LPM) may finally accelerate this week. A defense council would be scheduled for December 22nd. If so, will it be crucial to set the financial course of the future LPM 2024-2030, a crucial data element expected of all armies and defense manufacturers? Visiting the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, sailing somewhere in the Red Sea on Monday, Emmanuel Macron promised that a project “could be presented to the Council of Ministers early next year”. He also has to speak on this subject in Mont-de-Marsan during his traditional trip to the armies earlier in the year. He shouldn’t come empty-handed…
“It is logical that the nation gives you the means to carry out your missions,” said the President aboard the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. For this reason, our country is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to meet the challenges, manage the risks, serve our ambitions, and protect us. And the international context also encourages us – we all know it here – to question ourselves without hesitation to ensure that our choices are always relevant, entrusting you with the best equipment and having it in sufficient numbers, while continuing to innovate are to improve ourselves. This is a goal of our programming work.”
What financial development for the LPM?
It is high time for the Élysée to finally decide on the financial orientation of the future LPM. Because all the armies tearing each other apart to keep their capability ambitions intact or close to within the Armies 2030 model are nervous. As a result, the three armies are brewing all hypotheses of possible savings, including a possible postponement of the future next-generation aircraft carrier. Why ? Because the only way to achieve the Armies 2030 model, while taking into account the new needs identified since the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, amounts to 430 billion euros (ie more than 60 billion per year for seven years compared to 43.9 billion euros in 2023). Apparently unattainable for France’s public finances, as the Court of Auditors emphasized.
At the same time, the financial course of the future LPM will be higher than the current LPM (€295 billion between 2019 and 2025). All trajectories, including Bercy’s (377 billion euros), are above the 2019-2025 LPM. Which isn’t nothing in a depressing household context. Emmanuel Macron is aware that it is time to implement the conclusions of the National Strategy Review “in terms of capacity and budget”. The President spoke up and assured that he wanted to entrust the armies with the best equipment in sufficient numbers. Answer Thursday?
