President Emmanuel Macron signed a new military budget on the eve of parades for Bastille Day, aimed at lifting defence spending to 2 percent of gross domestic product.

Members of the Republican Guard ride horses during the traditional Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris, France, July 14, 2018.
Members of the Republican Guard ride horses during the traditional Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris, France, July 14, 2018. (Reuters)

France's military is getting a budget boost from President Emmanuel Macron as soldiers have marched through Paris on Bastille Day.

Fighter jets have performed acrobatics over Paris and troops have paraded Saturday down the Champs-Elysees. Macron is presiding over the event, where Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is the guest of honour.

Macron signed a new military budget on the eve of Saturday's parade, aimed at lifting defence spending to 2 percent of gross domestic product as promised to NATO. 

The rise had long been planned, but came after a contentious NATO summit in which President Donald Trump assailed allies for not spending enough on defence.

About 110,000 security forces are being deployed across France to protect Bastille Day celebrations, after a 2016 attack in Nice killed 86.

Source: AP