The French government presented its finance law for 2023 last week, a PLF that now has to be discussed and voted on in parliament. For the Ministry of Armed Forces, the budget (excluding pensions) is 43.9 billion euros, which is 3 billion more than in 2022. It continues to grow for the sixth consecutive year, the increase is expected to reach 36% Budget 2018 (34, 1 billion euros). The increase planned for 2023 should allow to continue efforts to modernize armies with new equipment and restore stocks of ammunition in an international context disrupted by the war in Ukraine. However, despite the concept of “war economy” proposed by the President of the Republic, the room for maneuver remains very limited due to the large number of programs to be launched and the necessary catch-up measures such as the replenishment of stocks of ammunition. Not to mention inflation, which will eat up a large chunk – probably a third – of the additional borrowing.
After a briefing with the press of the Minister for the Armed Forces, organized on Tuesday September 27 and in which Mer et Marine took part, you must have read a series of articles on the content of the PLF 2023 for the French Armed Forces. For our part, we preferred to wait a few days to clarify some points. In fact, the documents published last Tuesday by the Hôtel de Brienne contained a certain number of errors and not always marginal (there was an order for 22 multi-role helicopters for the army, which in fact did not exist). We were also able to note surprising omissions, for example, for the French Navy, the lack of the launch of two major programs, that of ocean patrol boats (PO) and that of mine warfare ships (BGDM), but planned for 2023. After many round trips between the services concerned, which sometimes struggle to tune their violins, we now see a little more clearly that this research has allowed us to obtain additional information on specific programs.
In terms of equipment, for the French Navy, the planned deliveries and orders of equipment for 2023 are as follows:
PLANNED DELIVERIES FOR THE NAVY IN 2023:
A nuclear attack submarine (SNA). This is Duguay-Trouin, the second of the six new SNAs built by Naval Group under the Barracuda program. The first series, the Suffren, delivered in November 2021, entered active service in June 2022. So next year the Duguay-Trouin will follow, which was launched at the Cherbourg shipyard in early September. Their testing is scheduled to begin this winter with a view to delivery in the first half of 2023. The third in line, the Tourville, whose hull is now closed, will be quickly installed on the launching device (DME) as soon as its eldest has left the top of the Cotentin. The Tourville, whose completion will end on the DME, is scheduled to join the French fleet in 2025. The three other SNAs in the series, which will be named De Grasse, Rubis and Casabianca, are in various stages of construction with a view to their delivery by 2030.