Germany to Participate in French Nuclear Exercise for First Time as Europe Tests Deterrence Without US
Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Emmanuel Macron announced Friday near Cologne that German conventional forces will join a French-led nuclear exercise before the end of this year, the first such German participation
Berlin's move toward a parallel bilateral nuclear channel with Paris signals hedging against a less predictable American security guarantee rather than abandonment of NATO's nuclear-sharing custody arrangements, trading conventional participation and doctrinal exchange for proximity to French deterrent planning that earlier German governments explicitly declined. Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium and the Nordic states, already interested in France's initiative, gain a working template for similar bilateral tracks, fragmenting nuclear consultation NATO has historically centralized. Confidence is moderate, resting on record statements from both leaders but lacking official detail on how the bilateral track interfaces with NATO's Nuclear Planning Group; the Associated Press supplies the sole primary account of the press conference, with other outlets building secondary analysis atop it rather than independent sourcing. The announcement may equally serve as diplomatic repair after the collapsed Franco-German fighter jet program, giving both leaders a deliverable rather than reflecting a matured joint nuclear doctrine.