Germany and France launch concrete nuclear cooperation with joint air force exercise

On the margins of the meeting of the Franco-German Defense Council, a further exercise is to take place on Friday at the Nörvenich air base near Cologne. German and French soldiers are to carry out maintenance work on each other's aircraft. A Luftwaffe spokesperson confirmed the details to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

Exercise in Nörvenich as a starting point

According to German government circles, the Defense Council on Friday is to decide as a next step that German soldiers will for the first time take part in a French nuclear exercise in the autumn. This would expand the previously largely symbolic cooperation to include concrete participation in French nuclear drills.

Macron's offer to European partners

The background to the cooperation is Macron's offer to European partners to come under France's nuclear umbrella. Alongside Great Britain, France is the only Western European country that possesses nuclear weapons. France has also agreed nuclear cooperation with the nuclear power Great Britain.

Seven other countries have responded positively to the French offer: Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Nine countries want to cooperate with France and thus create a counterweight to potential security risks in Europe.

Embedding in the NATO strategy

The nuclear partnership between Germany and France was agreed at the beginning of March by Merz and Macron. It is intended to complement and strengthen NATO deterrence. In Germany, US atomic bombs are currently stationed as part of NATO's nuclear deterrence, with the Bundeswehr providing fighter jets for their use in an emergency.

The exercise took place at the Nörvenich air base near Cologne and is regarded as a political signal on the occasion of the upcoming visit of French President Macron to Germany. Observers see the maneuver as a reaffirmation of both governments' will to visibly put flesh on the European pillar of deterrence.

With the planned participation of German soldiers in a French nuclear exercise in the autumn, Germany would for the first time be directly involved in a drill involving French nuclear weapons. Berlin is thereby taking a step beyond its previous role as a provider of carrier aircraft for US nuclear weapons.