HMS Queen Elizabeth, HMS Duncan, HMS Iron Duke and RFA Tideforce are to be transferred to EU command.
**This is an April Fools joke, the reason for this specific topic being chosen is outlined at the end of the article. Also If you’re reading this because someone shared it after the 1st of April, that person doesn’t read the articles they share and you should probably be wary of their posts.**
British vessels are being transferred to temporary European Union command for the next 6 weeks, the reason for this according to the Government, is to enable better interoperability with allies and to gain favour in negotiations with the European Union.
Some however have expressed concern that the vessels will be used against the United Kingdom.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said:
“The United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union but opinions vary on this topic.”
According to the Minister for Naval Matters, Parking and Urban Planning, Ronald ‘Mr Suave’ Monsoon:
“It’s in our mutual interest to work closely with the EU and its member states to challenge terrorism and extremism, illegal migration, cyber crime, and conventional state-based military aggression.”
The Force Commander, Rear Admiral Hernández, recently visited EU NAVFOR ship ITS Carlo Margottini from his flagship, ESPS Navarra. Cooperation between nations increases capability. #counterpiracy #maritimesecurity ?????? pic.twitter.com/9BFV917C0k
— EU NAVFOR (@EUNAVFOR) March 19, 2019
Previous efforts to strengthen links have been unsuccessful for decades due to Britain’s opposition to a combined European military.
“We’ve never come this far before,” a senior European Union official told Reuters, he said of EU defence integration efforts that date back to a failed bid in the 1950s. “We are in a new situation.”
The permanent structured cooperation on defence agreement (PESCO), seeks to tighten defence between EU members and improve coordination in the development of new military hardware. Aside from Denmark, which has opted out of all EU defence, only Austria, Poland, Ireland and Malta have yet to decide whether to join the pact.
Many NATO nations are also members of the European Union and the nations are trying to square the defence requirements for each alliance, the head of NATO noted at a conference.
“I welcome EU efforts on defence,” the secretary general of NATO said. “They are an opportunity to further strengthen the European pillar within NATO and contribute to better burden-sharing. But with opportunity comes risk:The risk of weakening the transatlantic bond; the risk of duplicating what we are already doing; and the risk of discriminating against non-EU members of the NATO alliance. The reality is the European Union cannot protect Europe by itself,” Jens Stoltenberg said.
The vessels will form part of a new fleet which will be based out of Calais.
If you have read this far, you will undoubtedly have noticed that the entire story is a fabrication put together by contributors from various parts of the UK defence community and is simply, an April Fools joke.
Did you also notice that a few well placed Tweets, a few intentionally created rumours and off hand comments were enough to create outrage over this news? People got wound up without any evidence, without any confirmation and without any research of their own.
The purpose of this article, aside from our usual April Fools day joke, is to highlight that reading beyond the headline should be the ‘done thing’ for every article and not only those published today. The real message behind this article is, be careful when you read news online or offline as sometimes it’s entirely false.
Too funny
Expect something on a European aircraft carrier or FSS later today!
Also it’s great that UKDJ is reaching out to foreign writers, this new French guy looks like he know what he’s talking about.
Oh he’s not foreign, we’re all European at the end of the day!
*hums ode to joy silently, but passionately.
>>Beethoven turns in grave.
nearly april fooled me there.
That’s the test of whether you’re really a European at heart. Does the title of the article fill you with horror or excitement at the prospect of being part of the United States of Europe? Horror for me, incidentally.
Mild bemusement is more accurate. Applicable to all situations.
Not sure what you are getting at…
Identity
Nope, still makes little sense.
LOL
Horror for me too.
A point though. We are all Europeans, and always will be.
Making the EU out to be “Europe” is so BBC.
One does not need to be in political union to be European!! I want to leave. I’m proud to leave. I love my country. And I’m proud to be European too.
The two are not mutually exclusive.
Congratulations you just failed the stupid test.
Read the article again. (Not that you read it the first time)
Completely agree, we have associated being European with the EU too much. If we hate the EU it must mean we hate Europe, that is most definitely not the case.
Exactly.
But it suits their narrative.
Funnily enough, Nigel Farage has a French name and a German wife. He too is a proud European.
You’d never know it though the way the media and establishment carry on.
I have an Italian father. Yet I want to leave. Still European though!!
No! For my sins.
Have always meant to and one of those things you never get around to doing.
april fool!!!!!
So they bully us like hell, want to break up the UK and then we contribute to a European fleet. Really you could not make this joke up. No wonder they walk all over us if we help them out regardless.
Except you can make this joke up….because it is an April Fools joke..
It turns out you can make this joke up… Are you not aware of the date?
Peter, read the WHOLE damn article !!! SMH
this joke IS MADE UP. look at the date!
Er…..April Fools Day article? HMS QE is off to Rossy for survey.
It is April the first after all – surprised they have not announced in addition to a Spanish admiral in charge that they would base the EU fleet in Gib.
That would have been even better I think!
Is this fucking April fools ?
Please tell me it is.
Yeah yeah pull the other one it’s April 1st ????
Headline got me, really REALLY good April Fools. Overcome with rage for five seconds
I remember last year’s ” Britain to build 3rd aircraft carrier” I nearly did a wee in my pants, and then noticed the date. I was just about to throw my phone across the room and again noticed the date. Nice one ?
Should have looked at the authors name first!
Oh Dear, When reading the Headline, It pays to look at the writers Name, That way you can avoid being Outraged. LOL.
If the Euro carrier is not to be built in Scotland can I make a claim for Appledore or perhaps in sections split between the Cinq ports. This may, of course , upset the wittering
of the SNP which would be a shame. So entertainingly useful recently. Either way, is the Merkle / Macron going to join Eurofleet? Presumably the T31’s will be based in Bahrain regardless of where they are built?
If it’s not an April day joke the these ships should be on the channel defending us from migrant invasion and french fishing boats in our waters.
Terrible attempt.
Considering Britain has signed up to every single aspect of EU defence since Brexit, It is not funny its the future.
I am Telling you a Joke ha ha , ha ha (thought bubble ha ha he thinks i am joking) PESCO OPs DE PESCO 1 THE DOUBLE PSYCHOLOGICAL PSYOP IS FUNCTIONING ,,PESCO 1 OUT
LOL
Horror for me too.
A point though. We are all Europeans, and always will be.
Making the EU out to be “Europe” is so BBC.
One does not need to be in political union to be European!! I want to leave. I’m proud to leave. I love my country. And I’m proud to be European too.
The two are not mutually exclusive.
Delete please admin. Also posted above.
Very clever. So the nucleus of the Navy will be outside the governments control and more likely to obey orders in the event of any kind of uprising when we decide either to cancel our article 50 application, or to stay in for another 2 years so that everyone can simmer down and forget all about it, or Germany, oops I mean the EU, can pass a law that once in, any country seeking to leave would be damned as a secessionist rebel and invaded. Think this is just wild talk? Look up 19 century USA history. As for me,… Read more »
A genuine sigh of relief when I read the last part.
We have NATO, why would we need a further layer of defence, particularly one we will soon have no political involvement in.
This may be an April Fool’s joke but Mrs May’s does in fact submit UK forces to EU political control and provides for UK participation in PESCO ‘to the maximum extent possible’smd for similarly maximum contributions to the EU Defence Fund in addition to the 39 billion divorce bill. It is an utter disgrace.
Heheh…
https://news.usni.org/2019/03/29/u-k-firm-claims-found-famed-u-s-warship-bonhomme-richard-experts-arent-sure
“I have not yet BEGUN to fight”!!!
Cheers!
One mans ‘Aprils fools’ is the EU’s ambition, it may be argued that this article is testing the waters (pun intended) is it was only last year the Paras were deployed with EU flag on their arm!
The joke’s foundation aside, routed as it is in the Eurosceptic/brexit issue I think the message at the bottom is something more people on both sides of that debate should take to heart. Sadly the ones that most desperately need to read that message and take it on board are precisely the ones who will have read the headline, and maybe a paragraph or two of the content and then reacted.
What has been kept under wraps is an agreement to lease Gibralter as a base for this Force and the overall Commander will be based there. This is a political hot potato which will be seen as the thin end of the wedge in a successful Spanish claim to Gib as a whole.