Six NATO Allies announced their readiness to work together in developing and fielding follow-on solutions for their existing maritime anti-submarine and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft.
At a ceremony in Brussels, Defence Ministers from France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and Turkey signed a Letter of Intent on ‘Cooperation on Multinational Maritime Multi Mission Aircraft Capabilities.’
This cooperation is expected to lead to the joint acquisition or development of new aircraft.
ATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller said:
“The decision to work together demonstrates both foresight and the willingness to invest in the critical capabilities that the Alliance needs.”
The initiative reflects the readiness of Allies to reinforce European capabilities, contributing to fairer burden-sharing across the Alliance. This cooperation will also ensure better value for money for taxpayers. Other Allies are expected to join the initiative.
Britain please stay clear of this programme. We do not need to join it! It will cost billions, be an exercise of frustration to try to get all those nations to agree on a specification and then get the aircraft built. This programme will take 10-15 years before the first prototype even launches into the air.
We have chosen Poseidon MPA and need to now make the best of this selection. Ideally by following up with an order for another 6 aircraft.
Agreed, this is another shallow example of the EU’s “ambition”, quite why they would want Turkey’s involvement i don’t know. Turkey seems to change which way they are facing quicker and more often than a weathervane.
I suggest you actually read the article before trying to push your tiresome political agenda, this deal has nothing to do with the EU, this is a NATO project.
If these nations are serious then they should procure the P8 as a joint venture and pool the resource. The idea of new European MPA is a waste of time and money.
The UK however should proceed along its chosen path given our defence global responsibilities. However we should work closely with our friends and allies, just not risk sharing partners on such a project.
#WeAreNATO.
eye rolls everywhere.
These nomarks all signed up to be part of the EU military alliance and can’t wait to get shut of NATO.
Agree Joe, NATO should only be for non EU nations now. You cannot have another military organisation (the Greater Germanic Empire or aka the EU) within NATO. We need to leave the spoilt, weak and ungrateful Europeans to their own mess. What is going to be very clear during the Brexit negotiations are that the EU are not our friends and allies and want nothing but uk taxpayers money to help finance infrastructure and headquarters buildings in Brussels, whilst paying farm subsidies to the French. The only thing the Europeans need to remember are that only 3 countries paid more… Read more »
Well no, “if NATO stipulated to the EU that they had to leave”, that would only make the argument for an EU armed forces, which at the moment personally seems pointless, more viable seeing as the 21/29 members of NATO which would be forced to leave would then be in need of a replacement for it.
The comments from ‘Joe’and Mr. Bell demonstrate why European nations need to co-ordinate their defence. With an mentally unstable Trump in the White House, they can no longer rely on American support. Europe is ootentially a very powerful economic and military power. It makes sense for them to develop their own military programmes. The nations of Europe are not American colonies.
Daniel
the point is you cannot have another military organisation, the EU, within NATO an organisation within an organisation just will not work. It has a lot to do with clarity of communication, chain of command and divided loyalties.
So either EU countries are in NATO or they subscribe to an EU military organisation for their protection. You cannot functionally have both, difficult in peacetime, impossible in a war situation.
Send Germany a bill for WW2 reparations and another for the Marshall Plan costs and don’t forget the free NATO stuff for 30+ years…