German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Germany will participate in a French nuclear exercise later this year, following defense talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at an air base near Cologne. The exercise represents a new level of military cooperation between the two European nations.
Beyond the nuclear exercise, Germany and France will continue developing cloud solutions related to the FCAS joint fighter jet project, which collapsed earlier in 2026. The two countries are focusing on salvaging technological cooperation from the failed defense initiative.
According to statements from the German side, the bilateral nuclear cooperation is framed as complementary to NATO’s existing nuclear deterrence framework rather than as a replacement for it. German officials emphasized that the Franco-German defense partnership operates within the broader NATO context.
Sources
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