Defense News provides a special report on various Naval programs, including France’s: “Despite a fiscal downturn, France is seeking to continue sailing a blue water Navy able to project maritime power on the waves, silently below and by striking from the air.”  

“Budget constraints have led the French Navy to ‘make choices,’ but by 2025, the service will have all the capabilities needed to complete a full range of missions, from defense to security, from high to low intensity, but in a ‘slightly smaller format,’ said Navy spokesman Capt. Didier Piaton.”  

“After the US, France has the second-largest exclusive economic zone, with some 11 million kilometers of seas to police in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, and in the Mediterranean Sea.”