“To be free in this world, you have to be feared. To be feared, we must be powerful,” said Emmanuel Macron in his speech at the Hôtel de Brienne on Sunday, July 13, 2025.
On the eve of the July 14th ceremonies, the President of the Republic delivered a martial speech, calling for a general rearmament, the mobilization of the State, companies, public services… right down to each and every citizen!
“Never has our freedom been so threatened… we Europeans must now ensure our own security”, he said, warning of the “hybrid” threats we face: cyber-attacks, disinformation, Russian presence on our borders. The President called for a general rearmament, mobilizing the State, businesses, hospitals, public services… right down to each and every citizen!
“Contemporary threats”
“To be free in this world, you have to be feared. To be feared, we must be powerful. And to be powerful, you have to be prepared. And that costs money. An additional 6.5 billion euros over the next two years will be allocated to the Armed Forces budget, to reach 64 billion euros per year by 2027, to deal with “contemporary threats”.
And since war needs soldiers, Macron is talking about a possible revamped, more flexible and voluntary military service, especially for young people. President proposes rebuilding the army-nation bond.
European strategy
Yet France alone can do little in the face of looming wars. And with the United States showing signs of uncertainty, President Macron is insisting on Europe’s strategic autonomy: we must be able to defend ourselves! A strategy organized around means (weapons modernization) and collective vigilance.
“Do we want to take our security and that of the continent in hand once and for all, and build a true European pillar of NATO? France says yes,” asserts the President. He presented European defense as a priority of his mandate, underlining the progress made with Permanent Structured Cooperation, the European Defense Fund and the European Intervention Initiative. He announced that European soldiers would be marching alongside French forces on July 14th.
The Russian threat
“Anything can happen”, added President Macron, after recent years marked by “the unthinkable”. He spoke of “an acceleration of history” and a proliferation of conflicts around the world. He also spoke of “the continuing Russian threat on Europe’s borders… which we must be able to deal with”.
The President began by paying tribute to the soldiers who died in combat that year, mentioning by name Marc Leycuras, Cédric de Pierrepont, Alain Bertoncello and Erwan Potier, as well as to the wounded and the 17,000 servicemen deployed on operations.
Macron nous dit qu’il nous dira comment il transformera la jeunesse française en chair à canon en octobre
C’est passionnant comme annonce historique
pic.twitter.com/MUYTxGzqiC— Marcel (@realmarcel1) July 13, 2025
🔴🇫🇷ALERTE INFO | “Nous consacrerons 64 milliards pour notre défense en 2027, c’est le double de ce qui était dépensé en 2017” Macron
En gros l’idée c’est continuer de siphonner l’argent des Français car le gouvernement ne veut baisser aucune dépense.
Qui va les arrêter ? pic.twitter.com/JwSAJrzpKi— Jon De Lorraine (@jon_delorraine) July 13, 2025
“Depuis 1945 , notre liberté n’a jamais été si menacée”
Macron utilise le même ton grave que le 12 juillet 2021 quand il a annoncé le pass sanitaire.pic.twitter.com/GXhFhUdKrC
— Jon De Lorraine (@jon_delorraine) July 13, 2025
