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| Europe |
| Anglo-French defense link-up "makes perfect sense" |
| 2010-11-03 |
| (KUNA) -- UK Defence Secretary Liam Fox Tuesday described the decision to pool troops, aircraft carriers and nuclear testing facilities with France as making "perfect sense". Not a lot of sense, but what sense it makes is perfect... At today's Anglo-French summit in London, Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will sign far-reaching treaties which will commit their forces to operating together for decades to come. Dr Fox said this would not stop the UK from acting on its own when the two sides disagreed over policy. He told BBC Breakfast TV "There is nothing in this treaty that restricts either country from acting where we want to in our national interest. "We're talking about joint expeditionary forces with our forces in all three services working together to develop common practices, better inter-operability and to look to see where we get better common equipment. "That makes perfect sense in a world where resources are tight but our interests are increasingly common." The key components of the agreement includes Co-ordination of the aircraft carriers to ensure that there is always a British or French vessel available for joint operations; The creation of a Combined Joint Expeditionary Force training British and French troops to deploy on operations together; The development of a new nuclear testing facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston and its French counterpart at Valduc. Downing Street said defence co-operation with France was based on a "hard-headed and practical assessment" of the UK's national interest. "This summit marks a deepening of the UK-France bilateral relationship. Ours is now a strategic partnership tackling together the biggest challenges facing our two countries," a No 10 spokesman said. The agreement will also see the two countries pooling resources in terms of training, maintenance and logistics for the new A400M transport aircraft which they are both acquiring, while French fighter jets could be re-fuelled in flight from British tanker aircraft. In the longer term, the two countries will work together on a whole range of programmes including satellite communications, cyber security and the development of new missile systems, submarine technologies and unmanned aerial drones. The move comes as both nations - long seen as the major European military powers - are looking to cut the cost of their armed forces. Publishing the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) two weeks ago, Cameron announced that the defence budget was to be slashed by 8 percent over the next four years as the Government tackles the deficit. It was acknowledged in government circles that achieving better value for money is one of the key aims of the Anglo-French agreement on both sides of the Channel. While the prospect of greater co-operation with the French was raised by the former Labour government in a defence Green Paper last year, the new agreement was said to reflect the personal engagement of the Prime Minister and Mr Sarkozy. One of the key elements of the plan is for the two countries to co-ordinate the operation of their aircraft carriers. Following the decision in the SDSR for Britain to go ahead with only one new operational carrier - with the second being built and then mothballed - both nations will be down to a single carrier, with the UK's not available for another decade. With the ships spending around 30 percent of their time undergoing refits, the aim is to esure such maintenance work is co-ordinated so that at least one vessel is available for joint operations at any one time. The agreement could in time see British aircraft flying from the French carrier and French aircraft from the British ship, with the creation of a joint Anglo-French air wing not being ruled out. The co-operation on nuclear testing - which is the subject of a separate treaty - will see the two nations work together on a new hydrodynamic facility, which ensures warheads are safe and working properly, without the need for test-firings which are banned under international treaties. The agreement will see British scientists based in Valduc and French scientists working in the UK, with the testing being carried out in France while the technology will be developed in the UK. It will not however see the sharing of nuclear secrets or the merging of the British and French nuclear deterrents into a single force, officials said. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #6 Fine. Then you mooks can "pool" your seat on the Security Council, too. The "EU" only gets one. |
| Posted by: mojo 2010-11-03 18:30 |
| #5 Boiled escargot smothered in HP sauce. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-11-03 11:59 |
| #4 I wonder what will prevail - the courage and stamina of the common British soldier (of second world war fame) or the not less famous French "decision not to decide". What the Fu###ing Brits and Froggies need is to get together and pass a resolution to deport all their Arab/islamist citizens back to where they came form. In 20 years no army will exist to save either the French or the Brits as already now every second baby born in France and Britain is a Moslem. (Mohamad is the most common child name in England right now). What I say is "politically incorrect" but it is the truth. My deportation suggestion may sound faschistic, but consider what is best - to take a step which is not so multi-culturalist but vital for preserving the future of both countries as western countries or to stay P.C. knowing that your inaction guaranties a multi-culti country in which the dominant majority of citizens are "silent sheep islamic masses" which will inevitably be ruled and directed by the Mufties and Ayatolla's and subject all non-moslems to Dhimmitude in their own land. Just my 2 cents |
| Posted by: Elder of Zion 2010-11-03 06:39 |
| #3 Lest we fergit, 1990's NET > RISE OF BRITAMERICA/BRITUS > "Globalism" + "Communitarianism" + "Communalism" = doth what is good for NATO-Euros also good for the USDOD + OWG America = Amerika??? You can just hear the USN's CARRIER + BOOMER SUB ADMIRALS, ETAL. BITING THEIR TEETH, CAN'T YE!? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-11-03 03:26 |
| #2 Looks like the best of both world's: the French will provide technology for propeller retention while the Brits will send in Lucas, the Prince of Darkness to assist....... (and the Brits will probably also get the mess deck franchise, forcing all to eat such great food as 'boiled to death mutton' and Spotted Dick. |
| Posted by: USN,Ret 2010-11-03 01:14 |
| #1 entente fauché |
| Posted by: Pstanley 2010-11-03 00:53 |