German troops to join French nuclear drill as Merz backs deterrence ties
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said German conventional forces will join a French nuclear exercise this year, while stressing NATO remains central to Berlin’s security.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
Germany will send conventional military forces into a French nuclear exercise this year, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday, a step that brings Berlin closer to Paris on deterrence policy. The move matters because European governments are weighing how much more of their own security they must carry as confidence in U.S. commitments to NATO comes under strain.
Merz announced the plan at a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron near Cologne, according to Anadolu and The Associated Press. He said German forces would take part in a drill run by the French armed forces before the end of 2026.
The chancellor said the cooperation could, over time, contribute to a new doctrine, but he cautioned that it was too soon to draw that conclusion. Merz framed the step as a gradual expansion of defense cooperation between the two countries.
Merz also said the French-German work would not replace NATO’s existing nuclear arrangements. He said Germany would continue to support NATO’s nuclear sharing and deterrence system.
Under NATO’s deterrence posture, U.S. nuclear weapons are kept in Germany, and German aircraft are certified to carry them in a crisis, Anadolu and AP reported. That system has long tied Germany’s nuclear role to the United States rather than to France.
Paris pushes a wider European role
Macron said Germany would take a leading role in deterrence cooperation, describing it as central to Europe’s collective security, according to Anadolu and AP. He said the partnership would include sharing some operational approaches, holding joint exercises, creating joint initiatives and building trust among military personnel, experts and officials.
The French president said the expanded cooperation would not require German financing. France is the European Union’s only nuclear-armed member state after the United Kingdom left the bloc in 2020, according to Anadolu and AP.
Macron has been pressing European partners to engage more closely with France’s nuclear deterrent. In March, he announced an increase in the French nuclear arsenal and invited other European governments to strengthen cooperation on deterrence, Anadolu and AP reported.
A symbolic first step took place Thursday, when French Rafale jets and German Eurofighters joined an in-flight refuelling exercise. Rafale aircraft are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, according to Anadolu and AP.
U.S. uncertainty shapes the debate
The closer cooperation comes as Washington has announced plans to reduce some military assets assigned to NATO operations in Europe, according to Anadolu and AP. U.S. President Donald Trump has also repeatedly criticized the alliance, the agencies reported.
Merz said earlier German governments had declined French offers for closer nuclear cooperation. He said current conditions require different answers.
Several European countries have shown interest in France’s initiative, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden, Denmark and Norway, Anadolu and AP reported.
Germany’s participation gives the French effort added weight because Berlin is pursuing a major military buildup. Anadolu and AP reported that Germany aims to develop Europe’s strongest conventional military by 2039.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.