New agreements to jointly invest in defense equipment, joint training and development of an Anglo-French Combined Joint Expeditionary Force were signed Jan. 31 by U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande.
Building on the Lancaster House treaty signed in 2010, the leaders signed various agreements, such as a statement of intent for a future combat air system, which would launch a two-year, $197 million joint feasibility phase that will see British and French industries working together, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
Technical agreements were also signed for an exchange program to provide Royal Air Force pilots and engineers with the experience of operating the Airbus Group’
s A400M ahead of the delivery of the United Kingdom’s first aircraft later this year; and for French pilots to gain flying experience on the RAF’s 330 Voyager aircraft.
A memorandum of understanding was completed confirming joint orders for a future helicopter-launched, anti-surface guided weapon for the two navies, the statement said.
The two leaders signed additional agreements including an about $16.4 million contract to develop underwater vehicles able to find and neutralize seabed mines.
Also, an agreement was inked on investment in the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston, Berkshire, to allow collaboration on and safe testing of U.K. and French stockpiles and greater sharing of technical and scientific data to further joint research.
Both countries also agreed on further cooperation between their respective armies on equipment capability and interoperability.
Another agreement would build on international peacekeeping missions carried out by their respective forces in Libya, Mali and the Central African Republic.
Defense Secretary Philip Hammond and his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian agreed to continue developing a Combined Joint Expeditionary Force capable of carrying out coordinated expeditionary military operations.
Hammond said, “Britain and France are natural partners for defense cooperation. We have made substantial progress since the Lancaster House treaty was signed in 2010 and today we have committed ourselves to go further still.”
Additionally, the United Kingdom and France agreed on joint efforts to tackle security issues such as terrorism, drugs and arms trafficking in North and West Africa to promote long-term regional stability.
The agreements we have reached at this summit will improve the interoperability of our forces, enhance our joint equipment procurement and build on our capacity to support security and stability in places such as Libya, Mali and the Central African Republic.