German Forces to Join French Nuclear Exercise for First Time

Chancellor Merz announced near Cologne on July 17, 2026, that German conventional forces will participate in a French nuclear exercise before year's end — a first for the Bundeswehr. Previous German leaders refused such offers. Macron said Germany would play a "vanguard role," with no German financing involved. Merz stressed the cooperation complements, not replaces, NATO's nuclear umbrella.