By Ling Yunzhi
Recently, the UK and Germany signed the Trinity House Agreement on Defence. The two sides announced systematic cooperation across all domains, including land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace, pledged to organize joint exercises on NATO's eastern flank and emphasized the need for Europe to enhance its defense capabilities amid the escalating Russia-Ukraine conflict.
UK-Germany defense cooperation has a long history, but it has mostly been temporary, lacking formal agreements. The Trinity House Agreement on Defence is the first comprehensive defense cooperation agreement between the two countries. It not only covers cooperations in a wide range, including air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace but also focuses on a number of specific joint projects, highlighting the serious and pragmatic attitude of both governments toward future defense cooperation.
According to the agreement, the UK and Germany will closely cooperate in the research, development, and production of next-generation weapons, including new types of long-range strike weapons, drone collaborations, and air defense systems. In terms of conducting joint military operations, it is stipulated in the agreement that the armed forces of both countries will hold more joint training and exercises and use the frontline as a catalyst for developing new ways of fighting . Both sides agreed to concentrate forces on NATO's eastern flank, strengthen cooperation of ground troops in the Baltic region, particularly by conducting joint military exercises along NATO's eastern border with Russia, aiming to implement collective defense in the event of an attack on NATO territory and realize an effective deterrence. The two sides also agreed to jointly utilize resources such as logistics, storage, and supplies.
In recent years, the US has gradually shifted its strategic focus toward the Indo-Pacific region, coupled with US presidential candidate Donald Trump's negative stance on European security issues, triggering significant doubts in Europe about the future commitments of the US to NATO. European countries generally worry that the US may significantly reduce its involvement in NATO affairs, prompting a call for proactive cooperation among themselves. The strengthening of defense cooperation between the UK and Germany is also a strategy to prepare for potential adjustments following the US election. According to German Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius, whatever the outcome of the US election is, Europe must take more actions and one key initiative is to strengthen the integration and collaborative capabilities of European defense forces.
The Trinity House Agreement on Defence between the UK and Germany specifically stressed the openness of the defense cooperation projects, declaring the jointly planned projects also accessible to other EU member states, such as France, in the future. France, in particular, has bilateral security agreements with both the UK and Germany. Following the signing of the Trinity House Agreement on Defence, France has also publicly expressed its support, marking the completion of a triangular defense agreement among the three major European powers, namely the UK, France, and Germany. Once widely embraced in the future, it is expected that more European countries will sign similar cross-bilateral agreements, thereby establishing a more internal collaborative defense network among European nations within the NATO framework, which would significantly enhance the military capabilities of Europe.
From the perspective of future development, the deepening of defense cooperation between the UK and Germany will significantly impact the balance of power in the European defense landscape, particularly escalating the intensity of confrontation with Russia. Both British Defence Secretary John Healey and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius emphasized during the signing of the agreement that one of the key objectives of strengthening defense cooperation between the two countries is to send a significant signal to Russia. In addition, British media sharply pointed out in an exclusive interview with John Healey that a significant aspect of the agreement is the cooperation on developing stand-off strike weapons. These will inevitably heighten Russia's alertness and provoke strong reactions, further complicating the future security landscape in Europe.
The UK and Germany are traditional military powers in Europe, wielding significant influence in regional and global security affairs. Against the backdrop of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the UK and Germany are seeking to bundle their defense efforts by signing a defense agreement for extensive, systematic, and all-round cooperation. This will not only accelerate the process of European defense integration but also intensify competition and the arms race among regional countries, significantly impacting the security landscape of Europe and the world as a whole.
(The author is a researcher at the Centre for Asia-Pacific Development Studies, Nanjing University.)
Editor's note: Originally published on thepaper.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
