France:  In what he called “the display of our nation’s power in the service of freedom on the seas and amid the turbulence of our times,” French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday that his country will construct a new aircraft carrier that would house 2,000 sailors and 30 fighter planes.

To be feared in these day of predators, we need to be tough, particularly at sea. For this reason, after giving it some serious thought and in accordance with the past two military programming laws, I have made the decision to provide France with a new aircraft carrier. Macron informed French soldiers based in Abu Dhabi that the decision to begin building this massive initiative was made this week.

The old Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, which entered service in 2001, will be replaced by the replacement ship when it is finished in 2038. It will weigh around 78,000 tons and be 310 meters (1,017 feet) long, while the Charles de Gaulle will weigh 42,000 tons and be 261 meters (856 feet) long.

The USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier, the world’s biggest warship with a displacement of over 100,000 tons and a length of 1,100 feet (334 meters), would still be larger than the new carrier.

France’s new aircraft carrier will be nuclear-powered and outfitted with French Rafale M fighter fighters, much like its predecessor.

According to Macron, hundreds of suppliers—the majority of whom are small and medium-sized enterprises—will gain from the initiative.

“This commitment in support of our companies will be personally guaranteed by me, and I will visit the shipyard next February to meet them,” he said.

According to the French military ministry’s website, the aircraft carrier will be able to participate in highly armed, long-range deployments on short notice, often, and for longer periods of time.

Sébastien Lecornu, the former military minister and current prime minister of France, predicted in 2023 that a new aircraft carrier would cost around 10 billion euros ($11.7 billion).

Macron has pledged to increase military expenditure by 6.5 billion euros ($7.6 billion) over the next two years. According to him, France plans to quadruple its military budget from 32 billion euros in 2017 to 64 billion euros in 2027, the last year of his second term.

With over 40,000 reservists and almost 200,000 active members, France’s military is now the second biggest in the EU, only surpassed by Poland. By 2030, France hopes to have 80,000 reservists.