Bad news - new nuclear era

GERMAN-FOREIGN-POLICY.com – July 20, 2026 - The new era of nuclear weapons

Germany and France launch their first military exercises for cooperation on potential French nuclear weapons deployment. But ‘German bomb’ discussions also continue in Berlin.

Germany and France have conducted their first concrete exercises to trial cooperation on potential French nuclear weapons deployments. On Friday the Franco-German Defence and Security Council held a meeting at Nörvenich Air Base, south-west of Cologne. The occasion was used for joint exercises in which two Mirage fighter jets from France’s nuclear forces and two German Eurofighters performed coordinated flight operations, including aerial refuelling. The deployment of German military personnel as observers on a French nuclear manoeuvre is planned for this autumn. The underlying military doctrine, called by the French ‘forward deterrence’ (‘dissuasion avancée’), was introduced by President Emmanuel Macron and publicly unveiled on 2 March. It provides for the sharing of procedures and practices with other European states, including Germany. However, participating European states are excluded from taking part in decision-making regarding the actual use of nuclear weapons, or in the planning of any nuclear strike operations. Here, Paris retains sole command, which is why Berlin had long declined to participate. Domestically, discussions are still ongoing in Germany about an exclusively ‘German bomb’. …

https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/detail/10485