ABSTRACT
Located at the western edge of the European continent, France occupies an exceptional geostrategic position in that its 3,500 kilometers of coastline on the North Sea, English Channel, Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea are extremely difficult to guard. The French deterrence strategy is intended to prevent conventional or nuclear aggression through the threat of nuclear retaliation. Such a response, which would first involve the use of tactical nuclear weapons against enemy military forces, would clearly demonstrate France's resolve to escalate to the strategic nuclear level, if necessary. The principal component of French deterrence forces is the Strategic Oceanic Force. This force is comprised of six nuclear-powered ballistic missile-equipped submarines (SSBNs). The French Navy is justly proud that it has developed a FOST without foreign assistance, and that it has dedicated significant naval power, including ships, aircraft, radar and an intelligence network, to protect the force and its SSBN base at Ile Longue, near Brest.
