3 June at 14:15 – 17:15 BST
The Council on Geostrategy, in partnership with the IHEDN and the French Defence Section in London, is pleased to invite you to an exclusive mini-conference and discussion focusing on British-French strategic maritime cooperation beyond naval action.
The event will take place on Wednesday, 3rd June 2026, from 14:15-17:15, at The Rag (Army and Navy Club), 36-39 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5JN.
This exclusive session convenes key stakeholders for a focused, theme-driven discussion. The event is designed to highlight the British-French relationship, with a particular emphasis on the maritime domain, while fostering high-level engagement between senior Whitehall officials, defence contractors, and representatives from both nations. There will also be opportunities to develop a post-event paper following the proceedings. Hosted at The Rag (Army and Navy Club), the session will accommodate 50-70 guests.
The UK and France are the only two European powers to possess both the maritime means and the political will to project naval power in and beyond the Euro-Atlantic. Both nations bring a suite of similar capabilities being the only European countries to operate nuclear-powered attack submarines and fleet carriers. The Lancaster House Treaty has helped usher in an era of even deeper coordination between the British and French militaries. However, there remain a number of issues in the maritime domain facing both countries. This session aims to explore some of the less-covered mutual maritime challenges. Beyond fleet-on-fleet cooperation, what other areas should London and Paris aim to strengthen their maritime partnership? This includes:
- Coordination between civil and military fleets: Both countries are in the process of rebuilding the close relationship between their navies and the civil shipping sector. What opportunities are there for closer coordination in these efforts?
- British and French overseas territories as strategic assets: Both within and beyond Europe, Britain and France possess a global network of overseas territories which are both useful power projection enablers but also vulnerable due to limited availability of military assets to defend them. What opportunities are there for the two countries to maximise the strategic value of these assets and share the burden of their security?
- Countering hybrid threats in the maritime domain: From Critical Undersea Infrastructure (CUI) mapping, to GPS jamming, and to the militarisation of fishing fleets, the maritime domain has seen a stark rise in the depth and breadth of sub-threshold activity in the maritime domain. This has put pressure on the Royal Navy and the Marine Nationale to improve their domain awareness, contribute more to CUI defence, while simultaneously redoubling efforts to prepare for peer naval war. How can the two better cooperate to share best practice, maximise the utility of limited platforms, and ensure mutual threats are dealt with?
Event schedule
- 14:15 – Arrival, coffee, and networking;
- 14:45 – Opening remarks;
- 14:55 – Roundtable session and Q&A;
- 16:15 – Coffee and networking;
- 17:15 – Departures.
We very much hope you will be able to join us. For more information, please contact [email protected].