1. Navy

a. The UK/France Letter of Intent (LOI) on co-operation and areas of mutual interest in maritime defence was signed by Ministers in 1996. This covers a very wide range of activity, including operations, and 20 formal Working Groups have been established under the direction of the British and French Chiefs of Naval Staff. The working groups cover such activities as:

Future Aircraft Carrier Development

Operational Planning

Training between Surface Fleets

Submarines

Operational Doctrine (Anti-Submarine Warfare)

Operational Doctrine (Anti-Air Warfare and Anti-Surface Warfare)

Naval Aviation

Communications

Personnel Exchanges

Amphibious Operations

b. An operations cell at the Commander in Chief Fleet Headquarters, Northwood, is manned by French officers to facilitate liaison and co-operation between the Commander in Chief Fleet and CECLANT. A twinning arrangement between 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines and the French Marines (9 DIMA) was signed in 1995.

2. Army

a. A Letter of Intent concerning co-operation between the British and French armies was signed by Ministers in 1997. This LOI sets out the parameters for improving Army to Army co-operation aimed at enhancing the development of European Security Defence Identity. It further sets out the need for continuing co-operation to improve operational capability leading to increased harmonisation in operations, doctrine, training, logistics and equipment aimed at improving effectiveness in future combined operations. Significant in this respect is the developing relationship between HQ LAND COMMAND and the Commandement de la Force d’Action Terrestre (CFAT).

b. Both Army Chiefs and their Deputies meet each other twice a year.

c. Annual Staff Talks shape UK/FR Army work in order to enhance the capability to operate together now and in the future. Common Goals include: Implementing and keeping under review the 1997 LOI; facilitating the employment of current national/bi-national formations in multinational structures for crisis reaction and warfighting operations; sharing thinking on the conceptual framework 2010-2020; and converging key emerging doctrinal issues and identifying force development opportunities.

d. Annual Training Talks provide the forum for the co-ordination of all Army bi-lateral training activities.

The signing of unit twinning arrangements involving some 70 units took place on 2 July 1999 between CinCLAND and CFAT. Brigade level twinnings were added to the arrangement on 30 Nov 00.

f. The UK/FR Army Liaison Officer programme remains dynamic and continues to develop in line with operational trends. France placed a liaison officer in MOD London in Aug 00. The UK is to reciprocate in Jul 01.

3. Air Force

a. The UK-France Intergovernmental Agreement, which formally established the Franco-British Euro Air Group (FBEAG), was signed by Ministers in 1998. The FBEAG, located at High Wycombe, has now expanded into the European Air Group (EAG) with 7 members. The EAG will continue to provide the framework for co-operation between France and the UK (and other nations) across a range of air issues. Examples of activities undertaken under the auspices of the EAG are:

Assistance to Tornado Ops over France.

Assistance to STC recce team at Solenzara for Tornado deployment

Tactical Fuels Initiative

Technical Arrangement (TA) on reciprocal Air Defence Training signed on 15 Jun 00

TA on reciprocal air support (including air lift and AAR) to be signed on 8 Feb 01

TA on co-operation between the RAF Regt and FAF Commandos signed on 28 Nov 00

4. Operations

a. A Letter of Intent was signed on 4^th December 1998 at St Malo covering co-operation in crisis management and operations. The aim is to improve the capacity to plan and carry out combined or co-ordinated operations outside national territories and NATO.

b. Examples of this increased co-operation, during the Kosovo conflict were the attachment of HMS SOMERSET and subsequently HMS GRAFTON to the FS FOCH Task group in the Adriatic and the use, by UK Tornados, of Solenzara air base in Corsica.

5. Peacekeeping

a. The Franco-British Joint Commission on Peacekeeping was established in May 1996. Its aim is to harmonise procedures and doctrine for peacekeeping and to develop a better understanding of our respective approaches. Initiatives to date include a joint paper on peacekeeping doctrine; an exchange of officers in the area of doctrine and training; and agreement to increase contact between trainers working for the UN, particularly in respect of pre-deployment training for Bosnia.

Joint work in support of efforts to develop African peacekeeping capacity; includes co-operation of activities in Africa, information exchange and participation in peacekeeping exercises in Africa.

a. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in 1976 between the UK and France on the Placing of Services and Facilities of the Government of the French Republic at the Disposal of British Forces in time of crisis.

b. During the preparations for a potential Non-combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) from Kinshasa in April to June 1997, an Exchange of Letters between France and the UK allowed use of facilities in Gabon

c. A Mutual Logistic Support Agreement was signed at the UK/France Summit on 25 November 1999.

Progress: Draft reciprocal airlift and sealift agreements are being staffed in the French and UK MODs (as Technical Annexes to the Mutual Logistic Support Agreement, see above). These agreements should be concluded in the near future.

Co-operation during Operation ALLIED FORCE: During the deployment of RAF Tornados to Solenzara we were able to assist with the recovery of a French Air Force detachment returning to France.

8. General

Advancing the European Defence Initiative – a central theme of UK/France defence co-operation since the St Malo declaration in December 1998.

Efforts have been made to strengthen co-ordination of Non-combatant Evacuation Operations. A combined planning exercise took place in June 1998, and identified scope for further co-operation.

There are good relations between Britain and France on the handling of defence intelligence matters.

Regular exchanges on nuclear policy and arms control issues take place through the Joint Nuclear Commission.

SSBN port visits to Brest in Feb 2000 and to Faslane in May/June 2000.

Arrangements exist for the exchange of Liaison Officers between British and French joint military headquarters to assist with the co-ordination of military planning.

An extensive exchange and liaison officer programme (around 30 posts)

Letter of Intent signed in September 1998 between respective Staff Colleges to enhance co-operation on aspects of jointery.

9. Exercises

The UK and France carry out some 140 – 150 bilateral exercises each year. These range from very small exercises such as an exchange of officers to large scale combined joint exercises. The training covers such subjects as peacekeeping, crisis management, maritime and air exercises.

Examples of co-operation are:

Ex PEAN – HMS ILLUSTRIOUS operated with the FOCH Task Group in the Mediterranean during October 1999. The theme of the exercise was power projection; force projection; SSN integrated operations; management and distribution of intelligence with a Task Group. The Spanish and Italian navies also participated. This exercise demonstrated good CVS Air Group operations and interoperability in a multi-threat environment between UK, French Spanish and Italian Carrier Groups.

The French frigate, ACONIT, was attached to a UK Naval Task Group exercising in the Far East between May and Nov 2000. The aim of the exercise was to practise combined ROEs and SOPs mutually agreed by UK and France.

Ex GUILBERT – A Divisional level CPX in France (co-ordinated by CFAT) during 00 involving 15 (NE) Bde and EMF 3 (Marseilles) in a warfighting scenario. The same named exercise is to take place in France during 01 involving 2 Bde and EMF 2 (Nantes).

Ex LION SWORD – DCinC LAND’s annual Divisional test exercise, to which the French Army are invited to provide a response cell.

Ex JAGGED COURSE – Joint Exercise with the French at Solenzara involving UK Jaguars.

Ex EUROFIGHT – UK Sea Harriers completed Air Defence Training with the French at Orange.

Recent examples include:

Multinational Force in Great Lakes region – Nov-Dec 1996.

Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) – Mar-May 1997.

Congo/Brazzaville – Oct-Nov 1997.

Democratic Republic of Congo NEO - Aug 1998.

OP WARDEN (Northern Watch) – No Fly Zone (NFZ) in Northern Iraq – Aug 91-end of 1996

OP JURAL - NFZ in Southern Iraq – Apr 92-Dec 1998

Bosnia (considerable co-operation during the UNPROFOR operation) – Ongoing.

East Timor – Sep-Dec 1999

UN Operations (UNAMSIL, UNIKOM, UNOMIG) - Ongoing

Kosovo – Ongoing.

Equipment produced as a result of collaboration between France and Britain, and already in service, includes:

Lynx helicopters

Gazelle helicopters

Puma helicopters

Jaguar ground attack aircraft

Adour turbojet engines

Tyne turboprop aero-engines

RTM 322 and 390 turboshaft helicopter engines

Collaboratively developed equipment in production includes the COBRA counter-battery radar (also with Germany) and, in a few years time, the PAAMS surface-to-air missile system that will arm the next generation of Franco-Italian frigate and the UK’s T45 destroyer.

The UK and France have committed themselves to the A400M transport aircraft and the Meteor Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile programmes.

Work is being carried out jointly between the UK and France under the terms of an updated MOU on Co-operative Defence Research and Technology signed on 26^th April 2000. The technical arrangements which underpin this umbrella MOU include co-operation on a wide range of technologies, including advanced ship propulsion systems, developments of airframes, jet engines and airborne radar that might be applied to future combat aircraft, armoured fighting vehicles, airborne laser designators and medical countermeasures.

e. Collaborative programmes provide a solid base for closer links between the defence industries of France and the UK. Examples include that between Rolls-Royce and SNECMA to develop the A400M engine and BAE Systems partnerships with EADS in the field of missiles (MBD) and space systems (Astrium), and with THALES on airborne radars and sonar systems (TMS).

f. Cross-border collaboration between companies complements traditional intergovernmental arrangements. Thus, for example, the French and British Air Forces are acquiring similar air-launched stand-off ground attack missiles (known in France as SCALP EG and in the UK as Storm Shadow) from the MBD joint venture company.

g. The LOI Framework Agreement on Defence Industrial Restructuring was signed at Farnborough in September 2000 by the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Spain.

h. With Italy and Germany, the UK and France were founding members at the end of 1996 of the joint armaments co-operation organisation, known as OCCAR, which was set up to improve the effectiveness of European collaborative programmes. OCCAR acquired legal status on 28^th January, which will enable it to employ its own staff and place and manage contracts on behalf of its customers.