Recently, the US announced the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany (around 14 per cent of US forces stationed in the country). Although the move comes after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the US was being “humiliated” by Iran and questioned its strategy in the conflict, it is also seen as reinforcing growing uncertainty in the transatlantic security partnership. Notably, French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to anticipate this moment while speaking at the Île Longue ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) base in Brittany in northwestern France on March 2. Speaking with a French navy nuclear-armed submarine, le Téméraire, as a backdrop, Macron outlined the idea of “dissuasion avancée” (forward deterrence), a French-led nuclear framework for European security.  It is widely seen as the most significant speech by a European leader in the last three decades on nuclear deterrence, as it signalled a push towards rethinking Europe’s dependence on the US-led nuclear umbrella.…