France Wants Germany to Join the Anglo-French Expeditionary Force

« French Defense Minister Alain Juppe is “determined” to include Germany in Anglo-French military cooperation.
(Boris Horvat/AFP/Getty Images)

 

The French have expressed a desire to forge a military partnership in which France, Britain and Germany would share both troops and equipment.

France and Britain have already set up a joint Anglo-French expeditionary force as one of several measures agreed to in a defense cooperation treaty signed last November. Now several French officials are said to be keen on involving Germany in a future expansion of the deal. Indeed, French Defense Minister Alain Juppe is reported to have said in early January that he is “determined to do everything possible to advance in this direction.”

Even senior British defense officials now seem to be warming to the idea of a military alliance with Germany. British Defense Secretary Liam Fox—who is reported to have formed close ties with his German counterpart, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg—is scheduled to discuss the idea of closer Anglo-German military cooperation with British Prime Minister David Cameron at a security conference in Munich next week.

John Bolton, former American ambassador to the United Nations, already told the Daily Mail last fall that Britain’s defense cooperation treaty with France can only lead to the subordination of British sovereignty and the weakening of Britain’s intelligence-sharing agreement with the United States. How much more will both of these realities hold true if Germany joins the Anglo-French expeditionary force?

Whether or not Germany joins this particular Anglo-French military agreement remains to be seen. This much is sure, however: The militaries of Europe will continue to unite under Germanic leadership. Britain is looking to Germany for protection and unwittingly setting itself up for one of the greatest double crosses in history.