After the defeat of Napoleon I in 1815, France and the United Kingdom learned to settle the centuries of differences that had pitted them against each other since the Middle Ages. Without going back as far as the first Entente Cordiale (1833) or their alliance during the Crimean War (1853-56), we can see that the military dimension has become increasingly important over the decades.
In 1904, the second Entente Cordiale saw the first exchanges of officers between the two armies; this dimension was increased after the Treaty of Dunkirk (1947) and the Saint-Malo Summit (1998). But it is over the last 15 years that the Franco-British defence relationship has been considerably strengthened, notably with the Treaty of Lancaster House in 2010. This set in stone the assurance of joint military cooperation between France and the UK. Brexit, which came into force at the beginning of 2020, has had no impact on this bilateral relationship.
Signed on 2 November 2010 by David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy, Lancaster House has created a legal framework and identified synergies. The agreement reflects a shared commitment to operational cooperation, the pooling of resources and the rationalisation of capabilities. It has greatly intensified cooperation in defence, national security and foreign policy.Â
A LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP CONFIRMED IN 2023
The last Franco-British summit was held in Paris in March 2023. It confirmed the content of this long-term, mutually beneficial partnership in the areas of capabilities, industry, operations, deterrence and international cooperation. The two countries also expressed their ambition to further integrate their armed forces by adapting to the security environment: improved logistical cooperation in support of operations, increased intelligence sharing, etc. This determination is reflected in the strengthening of cyber cooperation, as well as in the coordination of deployments of their aircraft carriers to ensure a complementary and more lasting European presence in regions of common interest.
This defence relationship is therefore based on three pillars: an ongoing politico-military dialogue, an operational pillar and a capabilities pillar.
Maintaining a sustained strategic dialogue, the two countries consult each other regularly at all levels (experts, political directors, ministers, heads of state and government) on security issues. Bilateral cooperation between the two countries is very dynamic, thanks to the involvement of a wide range of governmental, parliamentary, military and senior civil servants.
On the operational front, in 2010 the United Kingdom and France set up a joint expeditionary force, the CJEF (Combined Joint Expeditionary Force). Bringing together land, air and sea units from both countries, this force can be deployed in theatres of operations on a bilateral basis or as part of a coalition launched by the UN or NATO.
CLOSER COOPERATION IN THEATRES OF OPERATION
The British and French armies operate jointly in a number of theatres in the Euro-Atlantic area, notably in the eFP (enhanced Forward Presence) in Estonia, in the Levant as part of the international coalition and in the Indian Ocean as part of the Combined Maritime forces (CMF). The French Defence Staff, which has taken command of the Combined task force (CTF) 150 in Bahrain in the second half of 2023. The 501e régiment de Chars de combat de Mourmelon, twinned with the Royal Tank Regiment (British Army Armoured Regiment), under the command of British tankers, carried out the Lynx mission in Estonia last spring. For its part, 152e regiment of infantry of Colmar is binômé with the 2e battalion of the Royal AnglianBritish Army infantry regiment.
In the area of capabilities, the Brize-Norton summit on 31 January 2014 saw the signing of new agreements immediately committing major defence programmes:
- Missiles: the FMAN/FMC programme (FC/ASW is to replace the SCALP Storm Shadow (FR/UK) cruise missiles with Harpoon (UK) and Exocet (FR) anti-ship missiles by 2030. At the same time, cooperation also covers the light anti-ship missile (ANL) programme, the renovation of SCALP and Storm Shadow cruise missiles, Aster missiles with Italy and the METEOR missile with Germany, Italy, Sweden and Spain.
- MBDA shared centres of excellence: in 2012, the two governments decided to create centres of excellence shared by the French and British subsidiaries of MBDA, the Franco-Italian-British missile group, in order to consolidate their joint expertise in specific technological fields.
- Naval mine warfare drones: the MMCM mine warfare cooperation project (Maritime Mine Counter Measures) covers operational issues and the development of industrial expertise in underwater detection and robotics. Prototypes were delivered to the navies in November 2020 and the first production systems are expected by the end of the year.
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Generalising officer exchanges
At the Amiens summit in 2016, the two countries decided to extend officer exchanges, which have already been numerous for several years; the long-term viability of this programme was guaranteed at the Paris summit on 10 March. Since 2016, a British general has been deputy general of the 1st French division, based in Besançon, and a French general has been deputy general of the 1st British division, based in York.
Holding the latter post from 2021 to 2023, Brigadier General Jean Laurentin says that it has enabled him to reconsider a preconceived idea: "I came to the 1UKDIV headquarters with a rather distorted view of theArmyIt was an army where the officers were far removed from their soldiers and the non-commissioned officers directly commanded the sections," explains the man who has since taken over as second-in-command of the French Special Forces Land. "By visiting and inspecting the division's units (for the record, when I arrived in August 2021, 1UKDIV comprised 9 brigades and 98 active and reserve regiments and battalions), I very quickly realised that my vision was wrong: as in our land army, the officers are in contact with their soldiers and are supported by a corps of very high quality non-commissioned officers, who form the backbone of 1UKDIV.Army. "
At divisional staff level, the general discovered "a different approach": "The British method of planning and preparing orders is "... a different approach". Command led "In other words, it's the general who very quickly gives direction to his staff, whereas the French method is more " Staff led "This will allow the general to choose between several options prepared by his team.
After two years of immersion, General Laurentin notes that "the two armies are very close, share the same values, the same culture and the same fighting spirit, and have every interest in continuing to work hand in hand, as brothers in arms". On an individual level, he believes that "it is an extraordinary opportunity for a French general officer to be inserted into a friendly army, in a position of high responsibility, with the same prerogatives as a British general". Visit brigadier Jon Cresswell, currently deputy general manager of the 1era French division at Besançon, also gave his testimony for the IHEDN.
The role of IHEDN in establishing a common defence culture
Another form of officer exchange exists between the two countries, at just a lower hierarchical level: every year, a British colonel attends the Centre Hautes Etudes Militaires (CHEM), along with his French counterparts and those from other allied armies. CHEM students are also ex-officio members of the Defence Policy major at the national session of IHEDN: "While bilateral relations between our ministries, academic institutions and senior public and private sector officials remain strong, there is no direct equivalent of IHEDN in the UK," points out Colonel Carsten Duke, who completed the CHEM-IHEDN programme in 2022-23 and has since been studying at the University of London. Defence Academy of Shrivenham. "IHEDN therefore represents an incredible opportunity to deepen military and civilian understanding across an extremely diverse spectrum of professional fields."
For the British officer, these exchanges are invaluable in the cohesion between the two armies and, more broadly, the two countries: "The deep personal links forged during IHEDN and an active alumni network have had a direct and positive impact on interaction between the UK and France, whether on issues of national strategic importance or, more importantly, rugby. If I could repeat the year, I would! Vive l'IHEDN!"
