"I have decided to open the strategic debate on using our deterrent to protect our allies on the European continent." In his address to the nation on Wednesday, March 5, French President Emmanuel Macron relaunched an idea that he has been advocating for several years: Extending France's nuclear deterrent to some of its European allies. This proposal is being increasingly considered at a time when the United States seems intent on abandoning its role in European defense.

Since the 1960s, France has been a member of the group of nuclear-armed states: nine countries that possess the atomic bomb. This weapon is so destructive that it is supposed to deter any potential adversary from attacking a country that possesses it.

In our three-minute video, we explain what constitutes a nuclear deterrent, what makes France's deterrent different from other countries, and whether it can be extended to the rest of Europe.