Britain and Germany will sign a historic defense treaty.
British Defence Secretary John Healey hailed it as the most important bilateral agreement since 2010, paving the way for joint military operations and ensuring the military stays one step ahead of any Russian threat in Europe.
According to the Sunday Times, Britain will sign a historic defense agreement with Germany this week, paving the way for closer military and security ties with the European Union.
The treaty is expected to facilitate joint military exercises between British and German forces in NATO's eastern border region with Russia, possibly in Estonia and Lithuania. It would also allow the two countries to jointly purchase more weapons and lead to closer cooperation in the development and production of next-generation weapons.
John Healey, the UK's Defence Secretary, hopes that this agreement will bolster the defense industries of Britain and Germany as the West attempts to increase production and replenish its stockpiles after donating tens of billions of pounds worth of weapons to Ukraine.
Britain is seeking a comprehensive security and defense treaty with the EU, covering defense, intelligence sharing, energy, and illegal migration. A source said the treaty with Germany is seen as "the first step," and crucial talks with Brussels are expected next year.
Meanwhile, the prospect of another Donald Trump presidency, coupled with Washington's increasing focus on China and the Indo-Pacific region, has raised significant questions about America's future commitment to NATO in Europe.
Britain, France, and Germany—the region's three largest military powers—are currently discussing how they can shoulder more responsibility for defending against what they perceive as a threat from Russia.
Speaking at the two-day NATO summit in Brussels, Healey said the agreement with Berlin would be the most important bilateral deal Britain had signed since David Cameron's agreement with France in 2010. That Lancaster House agreement committed Britain and France to closer military cooperation, including nuclear warhead testing and joint military operations.
Healey said: “It’s considered the biggest foreign policy deal David Cameron has ever signed when he made the Lancaster House deal with the French. He did that six months after the 2010 election. We’re going to sign a Lancaster House-style deal with the Germans within four months of this election.”
Since the Ukraine conflict broke out, Germany has significantly increased its defense spending, transforming from a lagging NATO member to the bloc's second-largest spender, surpassing the UK.
In February, Germany confirmed that, for the first time since the 1990s, when the Cold War was still ongoing, it had met NATO's target of spending 2% of its GDP on defense.
Although negotiations are still in their final stages, Healey reportedly held discussions on the deal with his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, at a meeting of NATO defense ministers. Accompanying him on the trip was General Gwyn Jenkins, head of the Royal Marines, who is leading the British negotiations with Berlin.
Healey also revealed that British soldiers stationed in Estonia would receive new training, along with technological upgrades and the equipping of drones, to help British forces be ready for "combat".
Project Asgard will provide new drones to every frontline unit down to the platoon level, as well as new radios and advanced sensors, enabling British forces to detect the enemy from further distances, process information quickly, and transmit it to field commanders, then strike from a greater distance.
Healey said Asgard would be deployed next year, proving that a smaller but more flexible and technologically advanced force could defeat a much larger conventional adversary. “It’s about putting our forces one step ahead of Putin,” he said.
At the summit, Britain also announced it would cooperate with Germany, France, Poland, and Italy to create a new generation of Western long-range missiles to provide NATO with a new deterrent against the threat from Russia.
Defense sources say the missiles will be significantly more advanced than the British Storm Shadow cruise missile system, which Ukraine has used in Crimea and the Black Sea. They will have a range of at least 620 miles, four times the Storm Shadow's 155-mile range.
He has also agreed to join the new “diamond” initiative, which aims to “link” Europe’s air defense systems together to ensure the continent is better protected against missile attacks. According to the Sunday Times, Russia, China, and Iran are rapidly developing long-range and hypersonic ballistic missiles capable of striking targets thousands of miles away.
