IN-DEPTH BRIEFING // #88 // FEBRUARY 25
AUTHOR
Lt Col Ollie Major British Army Liaison Officer to the German Army for Force Development
The Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research is the British Army’s think tank and tasked with enhancing the conceptual component of its fighting power. The views expressed in this In Depth Briefing are those of the author, and not of the CHACR, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Ministry of Defence or British Army. The aim of the briefing is to provide a neutral platform for external researchers and experts to offer their views on critical issues. This document cannot be reproduced or used in part or whole without the permission of the CHACR. www.chacr.org.uk
NO LONGER A SILENT PARTNER
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HICH country was Europe’s biggest financial contributor to NATO in 2024?1 And is also the producer and user of the most modern and most exported tank in NATO and owns the most sophisticated infantry fighting vehicle; has a reference army for European Allies that is a genuine player at the corps and divisional level; boasts a rapidly developing experimentation programme and an aggressive digitisation roll out; and has the most forward leaning plans for NATO Front Line Forces after the USA? One could be forgiven for thinking these words applied to the British Army but in this case they refer to a long-standing and historically constant partner of the UK – Germany. Despite the long shadow of the 20th century in the public consciousness, Germany is arguably the NATO nation which is most closely aligned with the UK in terms of
military culture, foreign policy aims and approaches to force development. Following the historic Trinity House Agreement signed by the Secretary of State for Defence John Healey in October 2024, it is clear that the UK government recognises the importance of Germany and intends to do more with it in the military sphere. This In-Depth Briefing will examine the current UK-Germany land military relationship and make the case that the Stille Allianz (Silent Alliance) remains essential for the British Army and that Trinity House offers a vital opportunity. It will set out the ways in which UK and German interests are likely to converge in the land domain in any future conflict; the importance of Germany as the host nation for all our land deployment planning, and the fact that our industrial base is dependent on Germany and linked to the Bundeswehr. WHY SILENT? The 1st German Panzer Division
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recently held its first Waterloo Dinner, and the event is a fixture at the Führungsakademie in Hamburg; so the UK and Germany fighting side by side in a coalition of equals to defeat an over-mighty landgrabbing dictatorship clearly resonates today. Although the two World Wars have cast a long shadow over our common consciousness in recent times, we have historically been the best of Allies – we just didn’t shout about it, because until 1900-ish it was simply a fact and neither the British nor the Germans are given to such declarations. We should not forget the roots of the term ‘Anglo-Saxon culture’ – the tribes that give its name were German (there are three states NATO Press Release Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries (2014-2024) as at 12 Jun 2024 showing DEU financial contribution in raw currency as greater than the UK’s but including the time-limited Special Fund. Available at 20240618-Defence_Expenditure_of_ NATO_Countries_2014_2024_NATO-O. pdf (sharepoint.com)
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