In July this year, the Ministry of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland committed to improve and further enhance bilateral defence co-operation to better meet the common challenges of the 21st Century and to best secure the common interests of both countries in defence-related areas. We outlined escalating security concerns, exacerbated by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. We said that the deteriorating strategic environment demanded a unified response to ensure the preservation of European security.
As we confront these challenges together with Allies and partners, we are guided by our shared values of democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. Recognising the imperative for closer collaboration in the face of evolving geopolitical challenges and shared security threats, we aim to promote stability on NATO’s eastern flank, in Europe as a whole, and beyond for the Euro-Atlantic area. Strategic defence co-operation is an important first pillar in the new relationship between Germany and the United Kingdom, which will be codified in the forthcoming bilateral treaty in 2025.
Recognising the imperative, we have worked at pace to create our response through this historic, first-of-its kind, defence agreement between our two great nations. Our shared strategic objective is to sustain effective deterrence against would-be aggressors by building credible, resilient defence forces and defence industries, working towards the vision of a peaceful and stable Euro-Atlantic area. To do this, our agreement will become a crucial element in the broader architecture of European security; it is explicitly designed to support our Allies and strengthen the European contribution to NATO. In particular, it complements our respective existing bilateral agreements with France, laying the foundation for increasingly close co-operation between the E3.
Through this agreement, we have brought focus, resource, and ambition to our previously stated objectives: Strengthening Defence Industries, Reinforcing Euro-Atlantic Security, Enhancing Interoperability, Addressing Emerging Threats, Supporting Ukraine, and Deep Precision Strike. In addition to new governance structures, we will bring these objectives to life through the creation of totemic lighthouse projects, which will serve as beacons for unprecedented levels of co-operation and integration between our respective Armed Forces.
Deep Precision Strike and Defence: The UK and Germany will work jointly to rapidly develop extended Deep Precision Strike capabilities, to provide a conventional deterrent in Europe and strengthen European Integrated Air and Missile Defence. We will do this in the short term through:
Undertaking a comprehensive exercise to compare capability needs and identify synergies.
Developing common requirements and military doctrine to aid the development of long-range systems, working in co-operation with Allies and partners, in particular through the European Long Range Strike Approach.
Identifying opportunities for industrial collaboration and investment to achieve closer working on countering threats through Integrated Air and Missile Defence.
And in the medium term through:
Joint development and procurement of new extended Deep Precision Strike capabilities in close co-ordination with Allies and partners, giving special focus to new capabilities which far exceed today’s ranges.
Joint development of a common approach to deploying extended Deep Precision Strike in all physical domains.
Cohering Integrated Air and Missile Defence activity through the European Sky Shield Initiative, NATO’s Multinational Procurement Initiatives, and the UK’s DIAMOND initiative.
Uncrewed Aerial Systems and Future Connectivity: The UK and Germany will work jointly, in close co-ordination with Allies and partners, to develop and employ Uncrewed Aerial and Offboard Air Systems to ensure interoperability between Future Combat Air Systems. We will do this in the short term through:
Joint integration of common missile systems into drone fleets to enhance precision strike capabilities, drawing benefit from each nations’ previous experience, e.g. the integration of Brimstone to UK Uncrewed Air Systems.
Sharing plans on integration of capabilities between Current and Future Combat Air Systems, to enable development of interoperable offboard systems.
And in the medium term through:
Joint exploration and development of cross-system Combat Cloud capabilities across aircraft fleets.
Joint exploration and development of new Maritime Uncrewed Air System capabilities.
Joint exploration and development of common offboard systems compatible with respective Future Combat Air Systems to enable, inter alia, data sharing, to support interoperability and integration of those systems.
Supporting implementation of NATO-agreed common standards to ensure connectivity and collaboration between fighter aircraft, reinforcing inter-generation and (un)crewed teaming.
Strengthening the Eastern Flank through a new Land Strategic Partnership: Using our Forward Land Forces and shared enduring commitment to NATO’s eastern flank as a catalyst, the UK and Germany will work to strengthen NATO by developing doctrine, uncrewed systems, and enabling capabilities to transform our land forces; sustaining continuous land-based deterrence within Europe. We will do this in the short term through:
Working jointly in the Armour Capability Coalition to drive innovation in the land domain, through support to Ukraine.
Working jointly with Canada and the Baltic States, including through the 3+3 format, to rapidly transform the capability and effectiveness of our respective Forward Land Forces and tap the full potential of synergies of the Forward Land Forces in the Baltic States
Co-ordination of UK and German exercises between the Forward Land Forces, with the goal of combined exercises.
Working together to tackle the challenges in the shortage of NATO Corps troops across the Alliance. Equipping, training, and exercising the German-British Amphibious Engineer Battalion 130 in Minden to fulfil tasks as one entity within the NATO Force Model.
Fostering a deep Industrial Partnership between UK and German Defence Industries, including assisting respective prime contractors wishing to expand production facilities in each other’s countries. Our will to develop industrial co-operation is illustrated by developing plans between the UK MOD and Rheinmetall for a new barrel factory to be opened in the UK, further strengthening the defence industrial links between the UK and Germany.
Close collaboration in the BOXER User Group, conducting regular consultations on the “strategic pipeline”, and joint exploration of new capabilities and variants, striving for a closer exchange of BOXER In-Service-Experience topics, and close co-operation in the area of BOXER training and operation. Beyond BOXER, we will pursue joint procurement and through-life capability management initiatives around land vehicles.
And in the medium term through:
Joint development of common offboard systems for Future Ground Combat Systems to support interoperability between those systems, in co-ordination with Allies and Partners
Joint development of military doctrines for future land warfighting, supported by Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Disruptive Technologies.
Undersea Co-operation in the Northern Seas: The UK and Germany will work jointly to strengthen UK-German naval co-operation with a focus on the North Atlantic and North Sea. We will aim to establish and share a clear and concise picture of underwater activity, significantly contributing to the protection of Critical Undersea Infrastructure and Sea Lines of Communications. We will do this in the short term through:
Co-ordination of combined and joint operations in the North Atlantic, in close co-operation with Allies and partners, focussing on Anti-Submarine Warfare with ships, submarines, and aircraft. We will enable forward deployments of each other’s units and goods between our countries when required.
Episodic deployments of German P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft in the UK to support interoperability and collaborative Anti-Submarine Warfare operations in the North Atlantic, following their entry into service.
Joint development of common training for our Maritime Patrol Aircraft crews.
Promoting a common co-operative procurement of the UK’s Lightweight Torpedo STINGRAY MOD 2 for our Maritime Patrol Aircraft.
Contributing to the strengthening of NATO’s work strand on Critical Undersea Infrastructure.
And in the medium term through:
Exploring new offboard undersea surveillance capabilities to improve detection of adversary activity and support the protection of Critical Undersea Infrastructure, supported by Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Disruptive Technologies.
In addition, we are committed to working together for as long as it takes to support and enable Ukraine to counter Russian aggression. Our combined will is unequivocal, we will continue to ensure Ukraine has the military capabilities it requires. Our specialist teams and our Defence Industries will work ever more closely to ensure that Ukraine will prevail and achieve a fair and lasting peace. In the short term, we will collectively provide Ukraine with a new offensive capability, supporting fitting German donated Sea King Helicopters with modern missile systems. In the longer term, we will work increasingly closely through the Capability Coalitions for Ukraine using the lessons learnt there to continuously develop our co-operation. The UK will increase its support to the German and Polish-led Armour Coalition, Germany will support the UK and Latvian led drone coalition.
Through our agreed mechanisms, enhanced dialogue, and increased political leadership, we will drive co-operation for decades to come. We will regularly review the content and our collaboration. We will consistently raise our ambitions to meet tomorrow’s threats wherever they come from: on Land, at Sea, or in the Air, in Space or in the Cyber domain; and irrespective of whether these threats are caused by hostile actors or are a result of natural disasters or Climate Change.
We will confront such threats across all domains and between each of our Armed Forces and joint organisations, with co-operation in Cyber, Communications, and Information Systems forming the backbone and connective tissue required to embark on such an ambitious programme of work.
John Healey
Boris Pistorius
Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom
Federal Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany