UK and Germany work towards stronger defence relationship
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has hosted his counterpart Ursula Von der Leyen in the UK for the first time.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson with German Defence Minister Ursula Von der Leyen
The pair and their teams met to discuss strengthening defence ties. The German Defence Minister and Gavin Williamson also took the opportunity to meet a group of German junior officers, who have been learning about UK defence at the Ministry of Defence.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:
The UK and Germany face the same intensifying threats to our way of life and we work closely together to protect our citizens from harm.
Germany is one of our closest allies and I look forward to even closer cooperation.
The visit follows on from increased cooperation between the two countries. February saw the successful Ministerial Equipment Capability Cooperation talks in Berlin and the latest annual UK-Germany Army Staff Talks, which took place in London.
Germany was formally recognised as a ‘tier one’ defence ally in November 2015’s Strategic Defence and Security Review. The country has also recognised the UK as a key defence partners in its equivalent review.
Both nations have a strong history of working together in NATO and as part of the Counter-Daesh coalition, working together to tackle terrorist threats, build allies’ capacity and boost Europe’s security.