Germany and France sign an agreement expanding defense cooperation that links conventional capabilities and missile defense planning with nuclear deterrence frameworks. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron sign the document following talks near Cologne. The agreement includes mechanisms for coordinating military capabilities and evaluating elements of a potential common defense doctrine through a joint steering group. Germany is scheduled to participate as an observer in a French nuclear-related exercise, “Exercise Poker,” later in the year. The two governments also plan work on battlefield communications, and they coordinate space operations through a summit in September. The outlets also connect the new cooperation to earlier changes in defense industrial plans: after halting their joint fighter jet and tank programs, the countries shift focus to the development of a shared “cloud solution” connected to the former FCAS (Future Combat Air System) fighter jet project, which collapsed earlier this year.