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France

Nuclear arsenal to be upgraded

France is planning a $45-billion revamp of its nuclear arsenal over the next seven years, part of a sharp increase in military spending aimed at allowing France to "hold its own" as a key power in Europe, the country's defense chief said on Thursday. The upgrades to the land-and sea-based nuclear deterrent will be part of the nearly $370 billion to be spent by 2025. That would take the defense budget to the NATO target of 2 percent of GDP, compared with about 1.8 percent currently.