French nuclear submarine Le Vigilant successfully conducted a test launch of the new M51 ballistic missile

[ChineseTiger1986]

Yes of course, thanks to technical progress nuke today is more efficient more deadly than 60 years ago, like electric car today compared to electric car 10 years ago.
As for the French, just idiotic thinking, France depends on the US for own survival.

The US does admit that their ICBM and cruise missile heavily depend on the rare earth, so their other high tech military equipment.

Critical Minerals in Defence and National Security | SFA (Oxford)

SFA dives into the indispensable role of critical minerals in defence and national security, crucial for enhancing advanced weaponry, bolstering military readiness, and securing strategic independence.

www.sfa-oxford.com

Do you think that France could be somewhat less dependent on the rare earth than the US for their military?

 

[ChineseTiger1986]

the electronic part that gets rf signals is the vulnerable part that could have remote kill switch by usa, it's not rare minerals. e.g: gnss guidance, that must use usa gps.

no proves but no doubts usa can hack remotely every smartphone, fighter jet and advanced european military hardware, missiles and antimissiles. smash against the ground and looks like accident.

Trump believes that once China got the capability to sustain its own technological/manufacturing ecosystem to compete against the US, it is basically an adversary, same for Russia, since Russia still has many nuclear weapons.

But he believes that the US has the right to prey on its allies like the EU/Japan/Canada/Australia to satisfy its hunger, because they all depend on the US and cannot sustain its own ecosystem.

And the Canadian PM Mark Carney wants all middle power nations to band together in order to avoid to become the dishes on the table for the superpowers.

 

[Viet]

The US does admit that their ICBM and cruise missile heavily depend on the rare earth, so their other high tech military equipment.

Critical Minerals in Defence and National Security | SFA (Oxford)

SFA dives into the indispensable role of critical minerals in defence and national security, crucial for enhancing advanced weaponry, bolstering military readiness, and securing strategic independence.

www.sfa-oxford.com

Do you think that France could be somewhat less dependent on the rare earth than the US for their military?

Yes rare earth is necessary to make advanced fighter jets, satellites, advanced missiles. It comes down to quantum physics of rare earth electrons interacting with other metal electrons. There is no alternative to rare earth.
France is said less dependent on rare earth than the US. The French operate the largest production capacity outside China.