# Germany agrees to join a French nuclear exercise for the first time, breaking with decades of refusal > German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron announced at Norvenich air base near Cologne on July 17 that German conventional forces will participate in a French nuclear exercise before end of 2026, the first time Germany has accepted an offer of nuclear cooperation from France and a step both leaders said responds to growing doubts about US security commitments **Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-07-17 · heads: The Long Game, Who Decides · 7 takes · 3 lenses · 4 regions ## Summary [Germany](/en/entity/germany) will participate in a [French](/en/entity/france) nuclear exercise for the first time, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced alongside President Emmanuel Macron at Norvenich air base near Cologne on July 17. German conventional forces will take part before end of 2026. Merz, who said previous German leaders had refused identical offers, framed the shift as a response to "the world we live in today." Germany remains committed to NATO nuclear sharing, where US nuclear bombs stationed on German soil could be carried by German jets in an emergency; the French exercise supplements but does not replace that arrangement. A "strategic steering group" will consider expanding the cooperation further. ## Why it matters Germany has kept its nuclear posture strictly inside the NATO framework since the Cold War, relying on US extended deterrence and resisting any bilateral nuclear arrangement with [France](/en/entity/france). Merz's decision signals that European capitals are no longer treating US security guarantees as unconditional. It also narrows the gap between France's independent deterrent and Germany's conventional forces, giving Berlin a stake in European nuclear planning for the first time, with implications for how NATO's eastern members read the credibility of the European pillar. ## What to watch - What German conventional forces will actually do in the exercise, and whether it evolves into a doctrine update - Whether Poland or the Baltic states request similar inclusion, or push back on a Franco-German nuclear directorate - Whether the US signals concern that European nuclear cooperation weakens the case for extended NATO deterrence ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### AP wire via Israeli outlet; most detailed account available in the feed, quoting Merz and Macron directly from the Norvenich press conference and framing the step as a break with German post-war nuclear posture - **VINnews (AP)** (Israel / Global wire, en) — AP via VINnews provided full quotes from Norvenich: Merz said German conventional forces would participate in a French nuclear exercise before end of 2026, Macron said Germany would have a 'vanguard role' in deterrence, and both acknowledged the move was driven by doubt about future US commitments. The piece noted previous German leaders had refused identical offers, making the July 17 announcement a structural departure. > "We will have German conventional forces participate in a nuclear exercise conducted by the French armed forces before the end of this year, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced." Source: https://vinnews.com/2026/07/17/germany-and-france-initiate-nuclear-cooperation-as-europe-seeks-greater-security-independence/ ### Kuala Lumpur independent English daily; earliest available file, leading with the 'strategic steering group' Merz announced to consider expanded future deterrence, the procedural mechanism for whatever comes next - **Free Malaysia Today** (Malaysia, en) — Free Malaysia Today was the earliest outlet in the feed to report the announcement, focusing on the creation of a Franco-German 'strategic steering group' that Merz said would consider how to increase deterrence in the future, a forward-looking procedural detail that bigger Western outlets buried or omitted. > "Chancellor Friedrich Merz said a 'strategic steering group' created by both countries would consider how to increase deterrence in the future." Source: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/07/17/germany-to-join-french-military-nuclear-exercise ### unlabelled - **Yahoo News (AP)** (United States / Global, en) — Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/germany-france-initiate-nuclear-cooperation-150751490.html - **KIRO 7 (AP)** (United States, en) — Source: https://www.kiro7.com/news/business/germany-france/XPANYB5CMQ6OLN4YFGH4MPWYYM/ - **Texarkana Gazette (AP)** (United States, en) — Source: https://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/2026/jul/17/germany-and-france-initiate-nuclear-cooperation/ - **Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (AP)** (United States, en) — Source: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2026/jul/18/france-germany-announce-joint-nuclear-exercise/ - **Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (AP)** (United States, en) — Source: https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2026/jul/18/france-germany-announce-joint-nuclear-exercise/ ## Across the graph - Related: [[macron-merz-franco-german-jul17]] - Entities: France, Germany --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/germany-france-nuclear-jul17