UK, Germany sign unprecedented historic defense agreement

Britain and Germany signed a defense agreement on October 23 that includes a commitment to develop new long-range strike weapons.

According to Reuters, this is the first defense agreement between the two countries that spend the most on defense in Europe. British and German officials said the agreement, called the Trinity House Agreement, aims to enhance bilateral cooperation as well as improve the deterrence capabilities of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (left) talks with British Defense Secretary John Healey in Berlin, Germany, on July 24, 2024.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stressed that the conflict in Ukraine has shown that countries should not take security in Europe for granted. "With projects in the air, on land, at sea and in cyberspace, we will strengthen our defense capabilities together, thereby strengthening the European pillar of NATO," said Mr. Pistorius.

“It is particularly important to me that we work even more closely together to strengthen NATO's eastern flank and close important capability gaps, for example in the area of long-range strike weapons,” Pistorius said.

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For his part, British Defense Secretary John Healey said the agreement was an important milestone in the UK-German relationship and also a significant boost to European security.

“The agreement ensures an unprecedented level of cooperation with the German armed forces and industry, benefiting our security and prosperity, defending our shared values and boosting our defence industrial base,” Mr Healey said.

Under the agreement, the two countries will jointly develop new weapons with greater range and accuracy than existing long-range missile systems such as Britain's Storm Shadow. British officials said Germany would also base aircraft in Scotland to help protect the North Atlantic. The countries will cooperate on armed vehicles and land-based drones.

German car and arms manufacturer Rheinmetall will also open the first gun barrel factory in the UK in a decade, expected to create 400 jobs.

According to Reuters, the bilateral defense cooperation agreement between Britain and Germany will pave the way for a broader trilateral agreement between Britain, Germany and France. In 2010, Britain signed the Lancaster House Treaty with France, while Germany and France agreed to sign the Aachen Treaty, which will come into effect in 2020.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/anh-duc-ky-thoa-thuan-quoc-phong-lich-su-chua-tung-co-185241023065114326.htm