Britain and France signed a new round of defense cooperation agreement on July 10th (Thursday), aiming to strengthen the coordination of their nuclear deterrence in response to the increasingly severe security challenges in Europe. As the only two nuclear-armed countries in Europe, the commitment by the UK and France to coordinate the use of nuclear weapons for the first time highlights their crucial role in maintaining Europe’s strategic autonomy and collective security.
According to a joint statement, the two countries emphasized that any extreme threat to Europe would trigger a response from both nations. Any adversary threatening the “significant national interests” of the UK and France could potentially lead to coordinated use of nuclear forces in strong opposition. In the future, the two sides will expand cooperation in areas such as nuclear research, anti-nuclear proliferation policies, and nuclear security technologies to enhance strategic transparency and operational consistency.
The joint nuclear posture of the UK and France is seen as a clear warning to potential adversaries, further consolidating the leadership roles of the two countries within NATO. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated, “We are in a time of multiple overlapping threats, and the UK and France will jointly safeguard European and global security through unprecedented depth of cooperation.”
In addition to nuclear coordination, the UK-France agreement also covers missile development, defense industry collaboration, and high-tech weapon cooperation. The two sides will jointly initiate the development of next-generation long-range precision and anti-ship missiles as a successor to the current Storm Shadow cruise missile. This project will maintain 1,300 high-skill positions in the UK and is expected to provide over 300 job opportunities for the manufacturer, MBDA (European missile group). By expanding production, it will strengthen domestic ammunition reserves to support defense modernization.
The two countries will also collaborate on developing a new generation of beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles and promote the development of high-energy radiofrequency weapons (such as microwave and jamming devices) to counter new threats like drones and cruise missiles. Additionally, they will work on applying artificial intelligence algorithms to missiles and drones for synchronized multi-point strikes and real-time battlefield responsiveness to enhance battlefield superiority.
The agreement also includes the new Lancaster House Treaty 2.0, updating the extensive defense agreement reached in 2010. In the future, the UK and France will engage in closer military operational cooperation, expand joint deployment forces, and for the first time, have the capability to jointly command the “UK-France Joint Legion” to elevate it to combat readiness for deterring and striking against adversaries. This force will integrate space and network resources to improve rapid battlefield situational awareness and responsiveness, focusing on European defense and high-intensity combat, seamlessly aligning with the NATO framework.
In 2010, the UK and France signed the Lancaster House Treaty to enhance defense cooperation, including establishing a joint expeditionary force, naval aircraft carrier cooperation, and nuclear collaboration.
Furthermore, the UK and France will continue to lead the “Coalition of the Willing,” coordinating military assistance to Ukraine and post-war security arrangements, as well as deepening cooperation on Delivering Integrated Air and Missile Operational Networked Defences (DIAMOND) initiative to establish an integrated missile system to strengthen NATO air defense and protect Europe.
This comprehensive cooperation covering nuclear deterrence, high-tech weapons, and joint force construction is seen as a proactive response by Britain and France to the new security situation in Europe, indicating a gradual concentration of the strategic focus of European defense autonomy on the two nuclear powers of London and Paris.