Historically, the Air Force has been the first involved in the nuclear deterrence mission. For over 40 years France’s Strategic Air Forces (FAS) have assumed this mission with a now legendary rigour. That has never prevented them, quite the contrary, from continuously adapting to the geostrategic environment, national defence policy, technological change and of course financial constraints. And the secret of their ability to adapt while assuring a credible deterrence, as described in this brief portrait by the twentieth officer to command them, has been that rigour.
The Air Force and Nuclear Deterrence
On 8 October 1964 at the air base in Mont de Marsan, for the first time in France, a Strategic Air Forces Mirage IV carrying a nuclear bomb went onto 15-minute alert. That day marked the start of continuous national nuclear deterrence, since when it has never lapsed.
Coherence
What is most striking, looking back over these 43 years of history of the Strategic Air Forces (FAS) and of deterrence in general, is the overall coherence of it all: coherence in the political argument in a changing geostrategic environment and coherence in the assets and organisations supporting this argument. Such a direct link between political will at the highest level and the means that go with it is something very special within our defence system. The Head of State decides the posture of our nuclear forces virtually down to the last aircraft or submarine, to the last missile and to timing. None of this is negotiable and it has to be guaranteed on a daily basis by the commanders of the two components, FAS and FOST (the SSBN force), and by the Chief of the Defence Staff.
Capabilities
Within the FAS, this coherence is very clear, the most visible aspect being coherence of capability. As with the entire Air Force, the FAS is an inheritor of the areas previously opened up by the Mirage IV, which was at the origin of the combat aircraft capabilities of today. These include in-flight refuelling, long-range flights, very high altitude supersonic cruise and, later in a mission, all-weather high-speed penetration at very low level. Added to these are modern electronic warfare systems, accurate independent and discreet navigation systems (including the first use of inertial navigation systems in a combat aircraft), missile launch at long range from the target, flight in NBC environments and nuclear hardening of equipment. The three FAS squadrons today fly the Mirage 2000N, which has adopted most of these capabilities and improved them further. To take just one, the automatic very low level terrain-following system impresses everyone, even the most experienced aircrews, especially at night or in bad weather.
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