France views space as key pillar of military power, plans major investment

France considers space a strategic priority for its military capabilities and is allocating significant funding to strengthen its defence in this domain, according to the country’s Air and Space Force chief.

“Space represents a key military domain, which explains why France is allocating more than €10 billion to it under the 2024–2030 military planning law,” General Jérôme Bellanger said in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche. The law envisages a total of €36 billion in state funding for defence spending.

According to the general, “any modern war begins in space.” He noted that in some regions, particularly in the Middle East, interference linked to the use of drones is already disrupting the use of satellite data.

Bellanger had earlier told parliamentary hearings that warfare in space has already begun and that the sector requires close and sustained attention.

By Jeyhun Aghazada