Brussels, 02/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 2 November in London, with the signing of two treaties and a series of related agreements and letters of intent, President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister David Cameron sought to open a new era of defence cooperation between France and the United Kingdom. For now, it is mainly a matter of intentions and projects that should be translated into reality as time goes by.
A security and defence cooperation treaty above all provides for the development of cooperation between the armed forces of the above two countries, including with sharing and pooling of equipment, acquisition procedures carried out in mutual consultation and industrial and technological cooperation. This will be accompanied by a treaty on cooperation in the field of nuclear technology, signed for 50 years, organising mutual access to simulation and research installations in Valduc (France) and Aldermaston (UK). There is also a series of projects that vary in importance: - exchange forums between the armed forces on operational issues; - creation, in the medium term, of a joint forces expeditionary force, which is not a standing force; - constitution by 2020 of an integrated fleet air arm based on the parties' two aircraft carriers; - conclusion by end 2011 of a joint contract with Airbus Military relating to maintenance, logistics and training for the A400M; - initiation of a joint study on the technology needed for the next generation of nuclear submarines; - setting in place in 2011 of a project team entrusted with defining the specifications of an anti-mine system prototype; - assessment of cooperation potential with regard to communication satellites; - reflection on possible use by France of any surplus British capabilities for in-flight refuelling; - the assessment in 2011 of prospects for a joint MALE UAV programme to be developed between 2015 and 2020; - and the launching, in 2011 of projects in the field of missiles, with this cooperation serving as a test for initiatives in other industrial sectors. (O.J./transl.jl)