France and Germany will collaborate in a nuclear exercise as part of a French initiative to deepen European nuclear cooperation, in plans announced by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz following a series of meetings in Germany in July 2026.
“We will have German conventional forces participate in a nuclear exercise conducted by the French armed forces before the end of this year,” Merz said in a news conference after the two leaders met at Nörvenich Air Base in Cologne, Germany. He said that cooperation with France enhances Germany’s NATO nuclear-sharing agreement, under which Berlin hosts United States nuclear bombs and maintains aircraft to deliver them in a potential conflict. “We are charting a new, shared course in deterrence,” he said. “This complements our commitment to NATO’s nuclear sharing and deterrence arrangements, which we continue to uphold.”
The combined exercise, named the Poker maneuver, will simulate air-launched nuclear strikes.
Merz said it is too soon to say if the agreement may result in a new nuclear doctrine. Advanced deterrence is crucial for European collective security, Macron said, “because it creates strategic doubt among our adversaries.” He said that cooperation would translate into “explaining some aspects of how we operate, sharing certain closely held practices, offering joint exercises, developing joint initiatives and partnerships, and fostering greater … trust among our teams, experts and military personnel.”
The nuclear exercise announcement came days after a joint in-flight refueling exercise over Germany. Two French Rafale jets, which are capable of nuclear armament, were refueled by a French tanker aircraft accompanied by German Eurofighters. It represented the first exercise of its kind between the two nations.
France is the only European Union country with its own nuclear arsenal after the United Kingdom’s left the bloc in 2020. Spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Moscow’s use of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile in the war, European nations have begun forming bilateral agreements in which France would extend its nuclear umbrella. In March 2026, Macron announced that France would increase its nuclear arsenal, and he invited European partners to strengthen cooperation on nuclear deterrence. Germany joined France, forming a “nuclear steering group” to coordinate the countries closer integration in atomic strategic matters, according to the website DefenseNews. The agreement comprises part of Paris’ “forward deterrence.” France will share “some aspects of how we operate, sharing certain closely held practices, offering joint exercises, developing joint initiatives and partnerships and fostering greater … trust among our teams, experts and military personnel,” Macron said.
In addition to Germany, several other countries announced their interest in the French initiative, including Belgium, Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the U.K.