European Union’s Only Nuclear-Powered Navy Is Getting Ready for War

The European Union’s only nuclear-powered Navy is getting ready for war as concerns grow that combat is becoming “increasingly likely,” according to a report.

Global tensions have escalated in recent months as the Russia-Ukraine war rages in eastern Europe and conflict in the Middle East, including the Israel-Hamas war and attacks against Red Sea shipping, have sparked concerns about the potential for a wider conflict involving the West.

Rear Admiral Jacques Mallard, a French commander, told Politico Europe in an interview published on Wednesday that the country’s navy is shifting its focus toward “high-intensity warfare”.

“Naval combat is becoming increasingly likely,” he said. “We’re moving from a world where we were pretty free to do as we please to one where we feel threatened on a more regular basis. We now train for other missions, in particular what we call high-intensity warfare.”

He said the French navy has trained to become “a little more aggressive” against potential enemies, describing them as: “Not someone who wants to do illegal trafficking, not someone who wants to steal fish, not someone who wants to watch or observe us: someone who wants to destroy us.”

France is the only European Union member nation that has nuclear submarines in its navy’s arsenal. In fact, only a handful of other countries across the globe—including the U.S., Russia, China, the U.K. and India—have them.

According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, France has six nuclear-powered Rubis- and Améthyste-class attack submarines that are on active duty.

Newsweek reached out to the French Ministry of Defense for comment via email.

The French navy began a new training exercise in 2021 that simulates a naval battle, Mallard told the publication, adding that the shift is “a bit more risky but it’s very useful to disinhibit tactical thinking.”

France has emerged as a key ally to Ukraine as it defends itself against the invasion by Russia, launched by President Vladimir Putin in February 2022. While the conflict has thus far been largely contained to eastern Ukraine, there have been concerns that it could lead to a wider conflict.

For instance, some Russian strikes have landed near Poland, a member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Should Russia attack a NATO member, it would draw a response via Article 5 of its charter, which states that an attack against one shall be treated as an attack against all.

French President Emanuel Macron has also said “nothing should be excluded” when it comes to defending Ukraine, raising questions about whether he would support sending troops to Kyiv, which would be viewed as crossing a red line for Putin. He later clarified that his remarks do not necessarily mean France has considered sending troops.