French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu has called for a new European plan to increase Europe’s ammunition production. Lecornu said he will raise the issue at the European Union (EU) defense ministers’ meeting in Warsaw on April 2-3. The meeting is expected to discuss the future of European defense, the development of defense capabilities and military support to Ukraine.
Increasing Ammunition Production
France is demanding new measures to make the EU's defense industry more effective. Lecornu stated that Europe should take concrete steps to strengthen its defense industry, and emphasized that instead of large-budget plans, it should focus on more effective and applicable solutions.
The Minister stated that the EU's Ammunition Production Support Act (ASAP) was working, but a more comprehensive version was needed. He recalled that the European Commission had allocated 500 million euros to increase ammunition production under this law and that the EU planned to increase annual production capacity from 230.000 artillery shells to 2 million. However, France believes that this increase in production is not enough and that missile systems in particular should be considered in this context.
Lecornu said the EU's new munitions production program should cover not only simple munitions but also more complex systems such as missiles. France proposes supporting missile manufacturers in Europe and establishing licensed production facilities in European countries.
Request to Accelerate IRIS² Satellite Constellation
Minister Lecornu welcomed the European Commission to establish a sovereign European satellite constellation IRIS² He demanded that the project be accelerated and its budget increased. Stating that the project is of critical importance for Europe's strategic autonomy, Lecornu emphasized that current progress is insufficient and that there are major difficulties in the implementation process.
The IRIS² project is being run by a consortium led by SES, Eutelsat and Hispasat, and is set to be fully operational by the early 2030s. However, this date has been pushed back by several years from the EU’s 2027 timetable. Lecornu said the project needed to be accelerated and funding was a critical hurdle.
France argued that the EU should create its own independent satellite infrastructure, and said that it was risky to remain dependent on Elon Musk’s Starlink system. Lecornu emphasized Europe’s strategic independence by saying, “Either we accelerate IRIS² or we are doomed to Starlink.”
Defense Cooperation with Denmark Strengthens
Denmark, French at the meeting held in Paris Mistral short-range air defense missiles The Danish Minister of Defense, Troels Lund Poulsen, evaluated the solutions offered by the French defense industry and stated that they could cooperate further.
Denmark aims to increase its defense budget to over 2025% of GDP in 2026 and 3. The country is trying to rebuild its air defense system after decommissioning its Hawk missile systems in 2005. In this context, French-Italian SAMP/T and US Patriot air defense systems is evaluating options such as.
Denmark also has short-range air defense systems France's VL MICA, Kongsberg's NASAMS, Germany's IRIS-T SLM and the US's IFPC systems Lund Poulsen said they plan to make a decision by the summer.
If Denmark, If he buys the SAMP/T system, will be the first export customer to use this system in the EU. France and Italy are currently the only European countries using this system. Ukraine uses a SAMP/T battery for the defense of the Kiev region, while Singapore became the only export customer to purchase the system in 2013.
Debate over US military presence in Greenland
Lund Poulsen, USA Pituffik Cosmodrome in Greenland He also made statements about the military activities carried out through the United States. Stating that Denmark has had strong relations with the United States for many years, the minister said that an agreement regarding the American military presence in Greenland has been in effect since 1951.
US President Donald Trump has previously floated the idea of buying Greenland. Lund Poulsen said Denmark would be open to considering a US request to establish more bases in the region. However, he added that there was no such request at the moment.
