What are the French and British really discussing?
French and British continue to discuss the subjects of cooperation while the controversy over the Strategic Review begins to swell seriously in the United Kingdom (1). But this does not relate to the nuclear question, wanted to categorically deny Hervé Morin, confiding in a few journalists on the sidelines of the NATO meeting (2). " The questions of submarine patrols (3) like those of nuclear warheads (MCO), regularly mentioned in the press, are not subjects of discussion. The question is rather to know what capacity is available in one that can benefit the other. »
What are the topics of discussion? « We are more focused on subjects like the carrier battle group, mine warfare, maritime patrol aircraft. We could very well renovate additional Atlantic 2s; the current renovation has been done at a minimum and we have a greater capacity of planes to renovate which would allow us to offer more capacity to the British and the 4 Nimrods). There is also the maintenance in operational condition (MCO) of the A400Ms or the training of A400M pilots; an important subject, when you know that the cost of a simulator costs a fortune (that of 5 Rafale), there is an additional interest there. And there are other ongoing topics: the future male drone, aerial refuellers,…”
A bilateral cooperation. But the British especially do not want to hear about European cooperation. There is thus no question of the European Defense Agency as of entering the European Air Transport Command (EATC). " The British are asking for bilateral cooperation, no more”.
Read also:
- (1) Article to come...
- (2) Anti-Missiles: Hervé Morin denounces a new “Maginot line”
- (3) An alternate Franco-British nuclear deterrent?