Britain and Germany signed a defense pact for military cooperation. German submarine aircraft will operate from Scotland. The Rheinmetall Armament Group will open a factory in the UK.
According to the German Defense Ministry, cooperation on industrial production, joint weapons development and regular discussion formats is planned.
Under the agreement, German submarine-firing aircraft will operate from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, and German arms giant Rheinmetall will open a factory to manufacture artillery guns using British Steel.
German defence minister Boris Pistorius travelled to London on Wednesday for his first official visit to the UK since taking office. At a press conference with his British colleague John Healey after the signing, Pistorius called the deal “the beginning of something very valuable”.
The “Trinity House Agreement“, named after the country of the signing, will bring above all to” more security in Europe”, the German Defense Minister stressed. In the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “divide and conquer” policy, the deal represents a “chance to get closer” for London and Berlin, Pistorius said. “We offer something different: solidarity and trust.”
“With the Trinity House Agreement, we are showing that enato’s allies have recognized current needs and are committed to improving their deterrence and defense capabilities,”he said.
Evidence of efforts to bring Britain closer
The Trinity House Agreement between the UK and Germany is a testament to the British government’s efforts to establish close relations with European allies, particularly with regard to defence and security measures.
The deal is the latest step in prime minister Keir Starmer’s efforts to “reset” relations with key EU actors. Under the agreement, the two NATO member states will cooperate to produce long-range weapons that reach further than the UK’s existing storm Shadoflix missiles. The UK and Germany will also collaborate on the development of new ground and air drones.
According to the German Defense Ministry, this agreement is the first of its kind.
UK Defence Minister:”historic agreement”
Britain’s defence minister John Healey spoke of a “historic agreement”: “it guarantees unprecedented levels of new cooperation with the German Armed Forces and German industry, bringing benefits to us, to shared security and progress, protecting our shared values and enhancing our defence industrial bases”.
Under the agreement, the British Ministry of Defence said German P-8 Poseidon naval patrol aircraft would operate “periodically” from Lossiemouth in Moray, potentially armed with UK-supplied torpedoes, thus contributing to securing the North Atlantic.
In addition, the agreement will pave the way for a new factory of the German group Rheinmetall. This will allow the UK to manufacture artillery guns for the first time in ten years, using steel produced by Sheffield Forgemasters and creating 400 jobs. The first artillery weapons are expected to be produced in 2027.
The ministers also agreed to strengthen the co-operation of ground forces on NATO’s eastern flank. Joint exercises will be organized, the German Defense Ministry said. Also planned are “regular annual meetings in different formats up to ministerial level””
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and British prime minister Keir Starmer had already announced “a new chapter in German-British relations” and the signing of a comprehensive treaty during Starmer’s first visit to Berlin in late August. ” The heart of this treaty ” is a new defense agreement, Starmer explained at the time. The bilateral cooperation treaty should be signed early next year, according to the joint plan.
