The Direction of Military Applications at the heart of the French nuclear deterrence. From the pioneers' era to the Simulation programme

This publication proposes a history of the development of French nuclear weapons and of French deterrence. It distinguishes several periods: 1896-1960 (from the first Becquerel's scientific discoveries, to the CEA creation and the first nuclear test), 1960-1968 (from the atomic bomb to the thermonuclear weapon), 1969-1981 (consolidation with the development of the strategic triad, the development of the tactical nuclear weapon, and test strategy), 1981-1996 (weapon and force modernisation, emergence of the French disarmament policy, from the moratorium to the test ban), and since 1996 (development of the Simulation programme as ultimate guarantee of French nuclear weapons).