Le Pen wants to withdraw France from NATO command
Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right party, has stated that if she wins the presidential election, she intends to withdraw France from NATO’s military command structure. However, she added that the country would remain a member of the Alliance, according to Reuters.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally party, has once again made a sensational statement regarding NATO. The politician said that if she becomes president of France in 2027, she will withdraw the country from the Alliance’s integrated military command structure.
According to Le Pen, France should remain a member of NATO but should not participate in the military command structure, which, in her view, makes Europe too dependent on the United States. “We must withdraw from NATO’s integrated command. We must remain in NATO, but that does not prevent us from cooperating with our allies,” she said.
Le Pen also criticized Washington’s influence on European security. “In reality, we depend on Donald Trump’s decisions, and that is regrettable,” the politician stated.
NATO’s integrated military command is a structure that allows the armies of member countries to act quickly together in the event of a threat or war. It is this command that coordinates joint operations and cooperation between allied forces.
For France, the topic of NATO has long been a sensitive one. As far back as 1966, President Charles de Gaulle withdrew the country from the Alliance’s joint military command, citing the need for greater independence for Paris. It was not until 2009 that President Nicolas Sarkozy brought France back into this structure.
This is not the first time Marine Le Pen has advocated for a more “independent” French security policy. She has also repeatedly criticized what she considers Europe’s excessive orientation toward the United States. At the same time, her participation in the 2027 presidential election remains in question for now. The final decision is to be made by the Court of Appeals at the end of the year.
Against the backdrop of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the issue of defense has now become a key one in France. This week, a majority of political forces in parliament supported an increase in the country’s military spending.
French President Emmanuel Macron has also repeatedly stated that Europe must have more “strategic autonomy” and be less dependent on American military support. However, Macron advocates maintaining strong cooperation with NATO.
The French Ministry of Defense has officially announced a major review of its military planning strategy through 2030.
French President Emmanuel Macron has officially launched a large-scale program to build a new-generation aircraft carrier, known as PANG (Porte-Avions de Nouvelle Génération).