During his hearing by the Defense Committee of the National Assembly, Admiral Jean-Philippe Rolland, commander of the Naval Action Force, estimated that the construction of a new aircraft carrier would cost France "more than 5 Billions of Euros ”, and even more if the option of nuclear propulsion was chosen.
Such an investment, in the current circumstances of economic and social tensions, obviously seems out of place. Especially since, even if the French Navy considers that it can implement a second aircraft carrier without having to increase its air carrier format, escorts, logistics buildings and attack submarines, such an addition would obviously benefit from a new fighter flotilla, an anti-aircraft frigate and two additional anti-submarine frigates, as well as an additional nuclear attack submarine. In the end, the overall investment, thus presented, makes the initiative unaffordable, which is why the problem has been postponed from seven to five years since the launch of the Charles de Gaulle.
Under these conditions, what would be the costs for the State budget of an initiative aimed at building not one, but two nuclear aircraft carriers, so as not only to ensure the permanence of the carrier strike group, but to anticipate the withdrawal of service from Charles de Gaulle, which will take place by 2035/2040?
An expensive building
The "5 billion" referred to by Admiral Rolland breaks down into a study phase of 1 billion euros for the aircraft carrier itself, as well as studies of the systems which will make it a feared weapon, such as its systems. anti-aircraft, anti-missile, anti-torpedo protection, its detection and communication systems, its jamming systems. Finally, there are studies concerning nuclear propulsion, for a building which is estimated to have to weigh more than 60.000 tonnes. Together, the studies therefore represent € 2,5 billion in investments.
The construction phase would be spread over several years (5 years seems consistent), for an investment of €3 billion, including €500 million for the catapults acquired in the United States, to which must be added €0,5 billion for construction. and the adaptation of production tools to produce a building of this type, never before built in France. Finally, the testing and trials phase, as well as the management of the quality cycle, requires a final provision of €0,5 billion.
A new nuclear aircraft carrier would therefore cost public finances €6,5 billion, and €10 billion for 2 units. Over 10 years, this therefore represents an investment of €1 billion per year.
But how much does it “bring in” to the State?
Let us take in our study the case of the construction of 2 nuclear aircraft carriers over 10 years, costing €10 billion to the State. Of this amount, €9 billion is invested in France, or €900 million per year.
The effects on employment of investment in the Defense industry, and in particular in the Naval industry, have given rise to several studies, whether in the Lorient-Brest employment area or in that of Toulon. . It appears that for one million Euros invested, 10 direct jobs are created in BITD, 9 subcontracting jobs outside BITD, and 8 induced jobs, jobs linked to the consumption of the 19 jobs previously created.
1 million € invested generates 27 jobs
A full-time job generates an average of €22.000 in taxes and social security contributions each year in France. In addition, the employed person will pay, on average, €6000 in taxes each year, in the form of IR, VAT, etc. An unemployed person costs €24.000 per year to social organizations as well as the State. , for the payment of his compensation and the support he receives for returning to work. Taken together, transforming an unemployed person into an employee therefore generates a budget balance of €52.000 for the State, which still today compensates for the deficits of social organizations.
1 job generates a budget balance of €52.000 per year
By cross-referencing this information we see that the €900 million invested each year will therefore generate 24.300 jobs including 9000 direct jobs, 8100 indirect jobs and 7200 induced jobs. These jobs will, in turn, generate 1 million euros in social and tax revenue. Our annual investment being equal to 263,2 billion euros, the industrial process will therefore generate a positive budget balance of €1 million.
Over 10 years, building 2 aircraft carriers will bring €2,5 billion to the State
And the planes, the escorts, the sailors?
It is not enough to have an aircraft carrier to have a Carrier Strike Group. But the bases of the demonstration made previously for the design and construction of the 2 aircraft carriers apply identically to the €6 billion necessary for a new flotilla of Rafale M, a new FREMM DA, 2 additional FTIs and an additional Suffren. The 600 million annual investment will generate 16 jobs, generating in turn 200 million euros in budgetary returns, i.e. a positive balance of 8 million euros each year.
It remains to train and pay the crews of such a fleet, i.e. 3000 sailors, representing an additional cost of 200 million euros in terms of pay and annual training costs, a figure much lower than the 263,2 + 224 million euros. 'euro budget balance. The 287 million euros annual balance, to which it would be possible to add the taxes paid by our 3000 new sailors, represents a sufficient amount to acquire the 6 Grumman E-2D Hawkeye necessary to arm the 2 buildings, and replace the E-2Cs currently in service.
Why don't we do it?
At this level of the demonstration, you should arrive at the question “but what are we waiting for to do it?” », and to tell you that if this mechanism is not applied, it is because, ultimately, “it is not that simple”…
Unfortunately, the application of this doctrine, called Positive Valor Defense, requires a radical change of paradigms on the part of political and administrative authorities, a very difficult exercise when the people in decision-making situations are, as a general rule, from a model which will rightly be called into question by the DVP. It will be necessary, however, that at a given moment, France ceases to limit itself to having ambitions and ideas, and that it equips itself with the means to defend itself, and to defend its European allies if the need arises. .
As international tensions continue to grow, and more and more of the best economists predict an economic crisis of state debt for the years to come, the strengthening of military resources as well as industrial defense resources becomes essential. . In any case, the design, construction and implementation of a second aircraft carrier with its carrier group, and the eventual replacement of the Charles de Gaulle, are economically within the reach of public finances, as would be the case the strengthening of the 3 national armies. To do this, it would be enough to change paradigms...