Britain and France should stand together by Ian Bond
UK-French relations are fractious across the board. The two countries must not lose sight of their common international security interests. As Europe’s pre-eminent military powers, they need each other. Wherever one looks, London and Paris are arguing – whether about fishing rights, migration or trade. Until September, defence co-operation had been less affected by Brexit-related tension than other parts of the relationship – but then Australia cancelled its €56 billion contract for French submarines, and announced that it would buy nuclear submarines from the UK or US instead. This so-called AUKUS pact led French ministers to question the UK’s reliability as a defence partner. Now Boris Johnson reportedly wants “a new strategic alliance” with France – though the substance remains vague. Both parties would have to compromise on core principles to reach any significant agreement. On the face of it, Britain and France should be a natural fit as partners in defence. Between them, they account for more than 40 per cent of defence spending by European members of NATO – though their combined defence budgets still only amount to about one-sixth of America’s. They are the only European armed forces able to conduct high-intensity operations in distant theatres with limited US or other allied assistance. Despite their similarities, defence co-operation has not gone smoothly. In 1998, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Jacques Chirac agreed that the EU “must have
the capacity for autonomous action, backed up by credible military forces”, enabling the creation of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). But in 2003, Chirac led European opposition to the invasion of Iraq while Blair was its leading supporter. British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy sought to consolidate UK-French defence co-operation through the 2010 Lancaster House treaties – one on defence and security co-operation and one on nuclear stockpile stewardship. But Cameron resisted the French desire for a greater role for the EU in defence procurement and operations. Since 2010, the British and French militaries have increased their co-operation. The Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF) became fully operational in 2020. That allows London and Paris to deploy a joint land, air and naval force of up to 10,000 personnel rapidly, for everything from disaster relief to high-intensity combat operations. UK and French forces are working together or in complementary roles outside Europe – the Royal Air Force provides helicopter lift for French forces in the Sahel, and 300 British troops participate in the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, which works in close co-ordination with the French. Defence industrial co-operation presents a mixed picture. In 2020 British and French