At the closure of the Franco-British summit held at the Élysée Palace on 17 February, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron made a joint statement on issues of security and Defence. Below are some extracts from this statement.
“Our cooperation in Libya has been a defining moment – and one on which we will continue to build in the future. [...] Following an analysis of lessons identified, we have decided to prioritise our joint work in the key areas of: command and control; information systems; intelligence, surveillance, targeting and reconnaissance; and precision munitions. »
“France and the UK agreed in November 2010 to set up a combined Joint expeditionary Force (CJEF). [...] We agreed the Level of Ambition for the CJEF: an early entry force capable of facing multiple threats. A five-year exercise framework is in place to achieve full operating capability in 2016. [...]We will conduct this year a major French-UK exercise, Corsican Lion, to accelerate the development of the CJEF. It will take place in the Mediterranean Sea with participation by sea, land and air forces.
“ We have agreed today to take forward our planned cooperation on UAS within a long term strategic partnership framework aimed at building a sovereign capability shared by our two countries. This framework will encompass the different levels from tactical to MALE in the mid term and UCAS in the long term:
- Medium Altitude Longue Endurance (MALE) Drone: The Joint Program Office was launched in 2011. We will shortly place with BAES and Dassault a jointly funded contract to study the technical risks associated with the MALE UAV. We look forward to taking further decisions jointly in the light of the outcomes of this risk reduction phase to ensure that our respective sovereign requirements will be met in a cost effective manner.
- Watchkeeper drone: France confirms its interest for the Watchkeeper system recognising the opportunities this would create for cooperation. An evaluation of the system by France will begin in 2012, in the framework of its national procurement process, and conclude in 2013. »
“Building on last year’s successful cooperation on a joint facility at Valduc that will assist both countries in underwriting the safety and reliability of our respective nuclear weapons stockpiles, we have decided to explore opportunities for further collaboration in the nuclear field. »
“The UK and France are working closely together to ensure a safe and secure Olympic Games. The UK authorities are working with the French Olympic Security Coordinator to ensure that preparations and operational responses – aimed at the safe, secure and fluid movement of participants and visitors – are closely co-ordinated. In March 2012 we will conduct a joint exercise to test our response to a terrorist incident affecting both our interests. We will build on this through close bilateral co-operation on wider Olympics security planning and execution. »
>>> Read the full joint Franco-British Defence statement.