If Europe drums arrive, it will respond with a duplicate nuclear force

At the end of the 1950s, France, in the figure of Charles de Gaulle, promoted the idea that the nation could maintain some strategic dependence by launching the Nuclear deterrence policy Sovereign, a kind of nuclear umbrella arguing that, although the United States was an ally, its interests could Do not match Always with those of Europe. Half a century later, that idea sounds strongly in the old continent with an unpublished Anglo-French alliance.

An unprecedented agreement. United Kingdom and France, the only two sovereign nuclear powers of Western Europe, have first announced the decision to coordinate the Use of its atomic arsenals in response to any extreme threat that endangers the safety of the continent.

He agreementpresented by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron during a state visit to London, brand A significant turn In strategic cooperation between the two countries, especially in the face of the renewed fear of Russia’s aggressiveness and uncertainty about American commitment to European collective defense under Trump’s leadership.

Asterisk. Very important; although the British and French arsenals will continue to be technically independentnow they can be used jointly in case of conflict, an unequivocal signal for both allies and adversaries that any serious aggression against one of the two will be answered by both.

Differences overcome by a threat. The pact represents a symbolic overcoming of traditional differences between London and Paris in nuclear doctrine. United Kingdom has integrated its arsenal in the nuclear planning structure of NATO And it depends technically on missiles supplied by the United States, although it operates autonomously.

France, on the contrary, has always defended with zeal Total sovereignty About his deterrence, refusing to participate in the NATO nuclear cast system, and maintaining An independent doctrine whose strategic scope (“vital interests with European dimension”) has been deliberately ambiguous. The decision to act coordination does not involve merging capabilities, but synchronizing potential responses and generating a unified front against possible aggressions, especially in a scenario of weakness in transatlantic commitment.

Complement and evolution. Both countries possess Comparatively small arsenals In relation to the great nuclear powers. United Kingdom bases its deterrence In Trident missiles launched from submarines, but has announced plans to incorporate an air capacity by F-35a aircraft of American origin capable of carrying nuclear weapons. France, on the other hand, maintains a completely national force, which combines maritime and aerial vectors. In addition, he works In the ASN4Ga next-generation hypersonic air-earth missile with nuclear capacity (which United Kingdom Study adopt), which would mean having for the first time in decades of an air nuclear system independent of American control.

The new coordination will allow, among other options, synchronize underwater patrols or stepped maintenance periods to ensure a continuous presence in the sea. Experts such as Camille Grand and Lawrence Freedman highlighted the transcendence of the ad, since France He had never admitted Publicly no type of nuclear cooperation of this type, which implies an important doctrinal change.

The American umbrella. He underlined The New York Times That the decision to move towards an incipient form of coordinated nuclear deterrence responds, in addition to the Russian threat, to the Strategic emptiness that has left Washington’s ambiguous attitude towards European defense. The traditional dependence of the NATO nuclear shield, under American leadership, has It was questioned for Trump’s skepticism regarding the usefulness of protecting the allies of the continent.

In this context, Franco-British tandem assumes the responsibility of projecting a credible European alternativealigning their respective defensive doctrines and sending a clear message to Moscow about the consequences of continuing his offensive in Ukraine. The pact is articulated within a greater strategy to revitalize the call “Coalition of the willing”an informal alliance of European countries that seek to sustain the Ukrainian war effort before the American replication.

Challenges: Ukraine and coalition. Plus: The agreement comes in a moment especially delicate In the Ukraine conflict, where the promise of a high fire driven by Washington has not been completed and Western military aid, especially from the United States, is He has slowed down. Starmer and Macron, which lead the hard core of the Pro-Ukrainian coalition, seek to recover the impulse through A virtual conference with other allied leaders from a military base on the outskirts of London.

However, some countries continue showing reluctance To send material means such as combat airplanes, which underlines the difficulties in maintaining cohesion in a fragmented coalition for divergent interests and national agendas. The joint nuclear initiative is thus enrolled in a broader logic of diplomatic pressure to Hold the commitment European in the face of transatlantic umbrella.

Friends after Brexit. The nuclear pact, in addition, symbolizes a significant thaw in the relationships between London and Paris, deteriorated after the referendum Brexit. Starmer and Macron have presented this relaunch of links as a stage of pragmatic understanding, cemented not only in collective safety, but also in thorny areas such as migration.

Both governments negotiate A new agreement To stop migrants’ crosses in small boats from the coast of northern France, a growing problem that has generated bilateral tensions. The objective is to reduce flows without giving up humanitarian obligations, in the midst of growing political pressure by populist parties as reform uk.

The Lancaster Pact. The Franco-British alliance also extends to the joint development of new conventional capacities. Within the framework of the so -called “Lancaster House 2.0”both powers will sign an update of the Defense Treaty signed in 2010. This new agreement provides for the creation of a new generation of long -range missiles that will replace the Successful Storm Shadow/Scalpused by Ukraine, in addition to an extension of the joint expeditionary force.

Likewise, development is contemplated of Air-Aire missiles latest generation, microwave weapons to interfere with drones and missiles, electronic war systems and intensive artificial intelligence use To coordinate attacks with millimeter precision. These initiatives reinforce the projection capacity of both countries and consolidate their role as central safety guarantors in Europe, at a time of growing global instability.

Image | Defense ImageryLockheed Martin, Kelly Michals

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