The World : French to Beef Up A-Forces

French Premier Jacques Chirac, warning of the dangers of a Europe without nuclear weapons, presented plans for a major modernization of France’s nuclear strike force. In an address to the National Assembly, Chirac unveiled a five-year military spending plan that calls for France to lay out $77.5 billion on arms procurement. The program urges updating of nuclear warheads and delivery systems to take account of future anti-missile defenses. Major projects are to include designing a new generation nuclear missile submarine and upgrading two existing vessels to take the new, six-warhead M-4 missile with a range of 2,750 miles.