Guys, I've learnt a lot from your comments, and since I'm not a military expert, I won't be able to add much from that perspective.
But reading the eulogising about Anglo-French naval co-operation seems to me to overlook fundamental geo-political problems, and this is the perspective from which I always look at things.
We don't need to look too far back to find the last major war in which the UK and France had contradictory stances (2003). Moreover, I would expect different geo-political interests to raise their head in the near future to scupper meaningful co-operation.
Consider :
The UK remains fundamentally a maritime Atlanticist state, whilst France remains a continental state with a close alliance with Berlin.
Franco-German interests are leading to close co-operation with Russia, including the Mistral sale, which the UK balks at in private.
By contrast, the UK has close relations with the Nordic-Baltic states, those states which will always be most opposed and threatened by Russia, and which are, like the UK, strongest supporters of the US.
This divide between UK and French interests is mirrored within the EU on political and economic integration.
These division are fundamental, and although they can be brushed under the carpet with fine talk, they won't go away. Sharing of defence assets is like sharing a common currency - impossible in practical terms without political integration
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