The World : France in Nuclear Buildup

France plans a major buildup and modernization of its nuclear deterrent forces, Defense Minister Charles Hernu told the authoritative London magazine Jane’s Defense Weekly. Hernu said that the number of warheads aboard France’s nuclear submarines will jump from 80 last year to 176 this year and to almost 500 in 1992. He said a new generation of submarines will become operational in the mid-1990s. He added that the buildup is “well-matched to the scenario which we are likely to encounter up till the end of the century.”