While for four decades, Great Britain opposed all defense initiatives within the European Union, which it considered redundant and useless vis-Ã -vis NATO, Theresa's government May announced his support for the French initiative to maintain close industrial and military ties with the United Kingdom following Brexit.
He also said he would support the initiative to create a European-wide rapid reaction force.
It must be said that since the arrival of Donald Trump in the Oval Office, British positions on international and security issues have been much more often found close to French positions than to American positions. In addition, the French and British armies have significantly increased their collaboration and interoperability following the Lancaster House agreements.
Finally, the French and British defense industries have developed close links, in particular thanks to the missile maker MBDA, whose DNA is Franco-British, and to Thales, which has been able to invest in the United Kingdom without distorting the national dimension of similar companies.
This announcement also enlightens European countries on the British position following Brexit on this issue, while many projects found themselves impacted by the British choice to leave the EU.