Fallon met Ursula Von Der Leyen at the German Embassy in London to mark 26 years since the reunification of Germany.
He said Britain is “turning up the volume on its partnership with Germany, affirming Britain’s “commitment” to tackling threats around the world side by side with Germany. As part of Britain’s new partnership with Germany, the Royal Navy’s newest helicopter, the Wildcat, will operate from a German warship operating in the Mediterranean.
Fallon’s announcements are a huge step forward towards European military union, something which the UK government still maintains it will veto. Last year the UK’s Strategic Defence and Security Review lifted Germany to top tier status, something formerly only afforded to the US and France.
During the reception Mr Fallon and Dr Von der Leyen discussed EU Common Security and Defence Policy. With the Franco British fifty year defence pact in place since 2010, the German Dutch defence pact and now British German defence cooperation, a circle has been squared.
Fallon said:
While the UK is leaving the European Union, our commitment to European security remains steadfast, and we continue as a leading member of NATO – the cornerstone of our Defence.”
This last statement is interesting, because Fallon also said that the UK wishes to “enhance rather than duplicate NATO structures.”
This is key, because Fallon is admitting that British German military cooperation does not fall under NATO structures. Yet Britain still claims to be pushing forward with Brexit.
This seems to expose two lies, then: that Britain is against EU military integration, and that Britain will ever leave EU structures. What meaning will “Brexit” have, if Britain is still committed to free trade deals such as TTIP, still has the full body of EU legislation on its statute books, and is fully committed to military integration?
