this post was submitted on 07 Jan 2026
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France is working with partners on a plan over how to respond should the United States act on its threat to take over Greenland, Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday.

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[โ€“] plyth@feddit.org -3 points 4 days ago (2 children)

It may be possible but as far as I know the US built nuclear power plants to create plutonium with which they built the fusion bumbs.

500 or so warheads would be needed for credible deterrance. Are centrifuges really enough? There is also not much uranium left unless we want to return to Mali who won't just sell us theirs as long as we oppose Russia.

[โ€“] stormdelay@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 days ago (1 children)

You really don't need 500 warheads for deterrence, and there's plenty of uranium outside Mali

[โ€“] plyth@feddit.org -2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

How many warheads would be needed?

France has 290 for Russia with essentially 2 cities. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction

Would that be enough for the US with their Starshield that will be able to shoot down ICBMs?

290 is plenty enough to reduce the USA population centers to rubbles I'd think. They may be developing interceptors against ICBMs, but multiple countries, France included, are also developing things like hypersonic glide delivery vehicles that are even harder to intercept, so I don't think it changes the equation much.

[โ€“] Gsus4@mander.xyz 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Yes, the Nagasaki implosion design used Plutonium instead, which requires a reactor.

Uranium exists all over the world. Saying there isn't much left and that Mali is some magical last place where it exists is...not correct.

PS: Mali is mostly gold (e.g. Mansa Musa), it is Niger that seems to be a large Uranium producer.

[โ€“] plyth@feddit.org 0 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

~~Germany was in Mali to help France secure their Uranium supply. There are other sources, but to which does the EU without France have access?~~

Thanks for the map.