The German armed forces are to become "the strongest conventional army in Europe," Chancellor Friedrich Merz said as he set the ambitious goal in his first government declaration to the Bundestag this week. "We must be in a position to defend ourselves so that we do not ever actually need to defend ourselves," said the new head of government, referring to the threat posed by Russia. This is to be achieved in close coordination with European partners, and with the UK, in particular. This was made official last fall in an agreement that both countries celebrated as "historic." It has become known as the Trinity House Agreement, named after the place in London where it was signed by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and his British counterpart John Healey last October. Never before has there been such an agreement between the two countries. Healey traveled to Berlin on May 15 to firm up the joint plans. Chancellor Merz vows to build strongest army in Europe 01:54 Common strategic goals Although the UK is no longer a member of the European Union, the nuclear power remains a strong military partner in NATO and shares common interests with Germany. "The UK is deeply involved in the geographical areas that are important to Germany, such as the Baltic states and the far north, but also to some extent on NATO's eastern flank," stressed Ben Schreer, head of the Berlin office of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Both countries now intend to join forces to protect the North Atlantic and the North Sea, for example. Not only do important sea trade routes run through the North Sea, but also gas pipelines and cables that carry electricity from large offshore facilities to the coast. Following suspected Russian attacks on underwater cables in the Baltic Sea, security experts fear similar attacks in the North Sea. Both countries want to work to counter such attacks by providing a "clear and comprehensive picture of the underwater situation," the agreement states.