And at one point, we looked at a land-air battle construct where the Army and Air Force attempted to compare their respective capabilities and improve on those, and achieve synergies over land that would cause us to make an evolutionary step from -- or within the joint warfare concept.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing with Ben Rhodes and Admiral Robert Willard

The MoD hopes the exercise will improve the UK's joint capabilities with its allies, an asset it considers important in modern warfare and security.

BBC: UK deploying 5,250 personnel for Exercise Joint Warrior

The proposed plan would retire seven cruisers early, delay construction of the next large-deck amphibious warfare ship by one year, cancel the second Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) in 2014, delay construction of two smaller amphibious warfare ships, and reduce procurement of littoral combat ships by two and joint high speed vessels by eight.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Section IV: Building a Two-MRC Force for the 21st Century

But a third reason is that the 35-hour week is already the terrain for political warfare, with the employers' federation, for example, threatening to abandon its joint administration with the unions of France's social-security funds.

ECONOMIST: France