The Franco-German Armaments Cooperation. An Impossible Agreement?
In the Aachen Treaty in 2019, Germany and France agree to deepen their "common program in defense matters" and to pursue a common vision in terms of arms export. These are the preconditions that will help consolidate a culture of common armed forces, common interventions, and European defense industry.
Although the bilateral arms cooperation has been intense for a long time many major projects failed or caused considerable problems. The new "exceptional projects" FCAS (future air warfare) and MGCS (future ground warfare) are at an early stage, are characterized by ambitiousness and pose a certain number of questions. Among these, the respective role of the arms industry in the political process of both States and the correlated question of arms export hold a prominent position. The points of view of France and Germany could not be more different. Also, the strategic directions relating to the military capacity of action and intervention which the systems are supposed to facilitate, do not coincide.
The Aachen Treaty follows the objective to provide the necessary means for France and Germany to be regarded as the forerunners of the European ‘strategic autonomy’. To achieve this goal however three challenges must be overcome: the differences of the arms industry’s role must be tackled and overcome. Therefore, Berlin and Paris need to agree on the role of Europe or the European Union, more specifically, with regard to defense. This requires a public discussion on strategic questions within and between the two countries, which is currently unsatisfactory.
Detlef Puhl worked until 2016 as "Senior Advisor for Strategic Communication" for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges Division (ESCD). From 2011 to 2016, he was in charge of the strategic communication of this new division of the Atlantic Alliance Headquarters in Brussels.
This publication is available the following languages:
- FRENCH: "La coopération en matière d'armement entre la France et l'Allemagne. Un terrain d'entente impossible ?" (pdf)
- GERMAN: "Deutsch-Französische Rüstungszusammenarbeit – Ein Ding der Unmöglichkeit?" (pdf)
Author(s)
Related centers and programs
Discover our other research centers and programs
Security Studies Center
Heir to a tradition dating back to the founding of Ifri, the Security Studies Center provides public and private decision-makers as well as the general public with the keys to understanding power relations and contemporary modes of conflict as well as those to come. Through its positioning at the juncture of politics and operations, the credibility of its civil-military team and the wide distribution of its publications in French and English, the Center for Security Studies constitutes in the French landscape of think tanks a unique center of research and influence on the national and international defense debate.
Find out more
Discover all our analyses
Taking the Pulse: Is France’s New Nuclear Doctrine Ambitious Enough?
French President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled his country’s new nuclear doctrine. Are the changes he has made enough to reassure France’s European partners in the current geopolitical context?
Macron Offers a Promising Vision for Nuclear Deterrence in Europe
Macron’s concept of ‘forward deterrence’ offers a distinctly European approach to nuclear deterrence.
Multiple Launch Rocket Systems Europe’s Long-standing and Enduring Dependence?
The war in Ukraine has underlined the importance of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) in modern conflict, especially a war without clear air superiority and hence a reduced potential for air-launched deep strike. In 2022, the European MLRS fleet was split between a variety of Western platforms developed at the end of the Cold War and specialized in precision strikes.
Autonomous Systems in the Underwater Domain: A Limitless Revolution?
One of the decisive strategic factors in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war is the mass use of aerial, maritime, and terrestrial autonomous capabilities, which are transforming the face of the battlefield. Nevertheless, many of these drones are still remotely piloted, operated, or supervised, testifying to the fact that the autonomization of military capabilities is still at an embryonic stage.