London, England (CNN) -- The leaders of Britain and France signed a groundbreaking treaty on defense cooperation Tuesday that would combine many elements of their militaries, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced.
The treaty would include changing the design of some aircraft carriers to allow both British and French planes to land, holding joint training exercises, and cooperating on unmanned aerial systems.
A second treaty would see the two countries engage in nuclear cooperation, including building new testing facilities.
"This is not, as some have suggested, about weakening or pooling British or French sovereignty," Cameron said after the signing. "This is not about a European army. This is not about sharing our nuclear deterrents.
"Let me say this plainly -- Britain and France are and will always remain sovereign nations, able to deploy our armed forces independently and in our national interests when we choose to do so," Cameron said.
The prime minister said military cooperation is now the norm, pointing out Britain has deployed its army alone only twice in recent decades -- in Sierra Leone in 2000 and during the Falklands War in 1982.
CNN
