Why do Britain and Germany need their own defence pact?

It is a standard feature of modern politics that government announcements are preceded by announcements of announcements. The ground must always be prepared. Accordingly, the media has been briefed that this week the United Kingdom and Germany will sign a defence cooperation agreement, part of the government’s stated desire to strengthen its relationship on security with the European Union. We should not expect a revolution so much as an eager scattering of glitter on what is actually relatively humdrum.

John Healey, the defence secretary, visited Berlin in July and agreed a joint declaration on defence with his German counterpart Boris Pistorius. While it was breathlessly billed as ‘the first step in a deep new UK-German defence relationship’ and ‘the most comprehensive defence agreement’ the two countries had ever agreed, it was almost entirely devoid of content. There was not a single concrete policy action contained in it. The jury is out as to whether the government pretends or genuinely believes that well-meaning expressions of principle amount to meaningful action.

This week, we have been told to expect an agreement which will enable the UK and Germany to conduct joint military exercises in Nato’s eastern border area and facilitate greater cooperation on procurement and the development of equipment.