Senior French and British officials and military personnel met in London to advance nuclear cooperation under the Northwood Declaration. The Nuclear Steering Group, co-chaired by the French Presidency and the UK Cabinet Office, noted significant progress in coordinating the two countries’ independent deterrent forces.
The group stressed that any state considering threatening the vital interests of France or the UK should understand it would face the combined power of both countries’ forces. It also welcomed the UK’s recent participation in France’s Rummy airborne nuclear exercise.
Participants discussed France’s initiative on “forward deterrence”. The group said the initiative makes a significant contribution to European security and Euro-Atlantic deterrence, and complicates the calculations of potential adversaries while complementing NATO.
