UK and Germany ink landmark defence agreement to strengthen military ties
- In Reports
- 04:41 PM, Oct 23, 2024
- Myind Staff
Britain and Germany have signed a major defence agreement to strengthen security, boost investment and create jobs. As part of the deal, German defence company Rheinmetall will open a new factory in the UK to produce artillery gun barrels, which will help support 400 jobs.
Both nations will collaborate on the development of a new long-range missile and drones. Additionally, German maritime surveillance planes will occasionally scan the North Atlantic from Scotland's RAF Lossiemouth. While in opposition, Labour pledged to strengthen military relationships with Germany. This commitment is part of a broader effort by the current government to improve relations with important European allies after Brexit.
Miguel Berger, the German ambassador to the UK, stated that the UK has room to participate in the European Commission's increased emphasis on defence over the next five years. "Obviously the question is - what can the role of the British defence industry and of the capacities of the United Kingdom be in this joint endeavour?" He said on the Today show on BBC Radio 4.
The UK has a defence agreement with France known as the Lancaster House Treaty, signed in 2010 by David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy. However, this new agreement is the first of its kind with Germany. Germany and the UK are the largest defence spenders in Europe and the biggest military supporters of Ukraine among European nations.
According to Defense Secretary John Healey, it was a "milestone moment" that brought the two nations' defence sectors and forces closer together. As members of the NATO alliance, the two countries actually already work together.
In a joint venture, Rheinmetall from Germany and BAE Systems from the UK are working together to build new tanks and armoured vehicles for the British Army. They have formed a partnership called RBSL, which will manufacture the Boxer armoured fighting vehicle and the newest Challenger 3 tank in Telford, Shropshire.
Under the new Trinity House Agreement, Rheinmetall will establish a factory in the UK to manufacture barrels for artillery guns, a production the UK hasn't engaged in for over ten years. The exact location of the factory is still to be revealed, but the Ministry of Defence (MoD) states that it will create more than 400 jobs and will utilise British steel from Sheffield Forgemasters. The UK government recently purchased the steelmaker. It is anticipated that the first barrels of artillery guns will be produced in 2027.
The development of a new long-range missile, which the MoD claims will be more accurate and able to fire farther than either of the existing systems—the UK's Storm Shadow and Germany's Taurus—is another pledge included in the Trinity House Agreement. Germany has declined to give Ukraine its Taurus cruise missile, in contrast to the UK. Germany and the UK will continue to work together to create drones that may potentially fly alongside their respective nations' Typhoon fighters.
Periodically, RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland will host German P8 maritime surveillance planes to assist in North Atlantic patrols. This has been the case for several years with other NATO countries. Additionally, a commitment to strengthen the defence of NATO's eastern flank has been made; as part of NATO's expanded defence plans in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the UK and Germany have already deployed hundreds of troops to the Baltic states.
According to Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, the deal will fortify NATO and Europe. "We must not take security in Europe for granted," said he, adding the projects being undertaken would be open to other partners
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