The new British defense secretary has backed French plans to create an EU army. John Hutton told the Sunday Times this week that “France is one of our closest allies, militarily. The French believe very strongly in this type of role. If we can support it, we should.”

“I think we’ve got to be pragmatic about those things,” he said. “Where it can help, we should be part of it.”

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, wants European nations to commit to creating a force that is capable of deploying 60,000 troops with naval and air support within 60 days, according to Agence France Presse.

Hutton’s position is at odds with that of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, however. Mr. Brown opposes the idea, believing that any further cooperation at the EU level will undermine nato.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier have both publicly called for an EU army.

Hutton also heaped scorn on all those who might disagree with him. “I’m not one of those EU haters [who think] anything to do with the EU must by definition be terrible. There’s plenty of them around. I think frankly those kind of views are pathetic,” he said.

“Britain’s role in the world is to be part of those alliances—that’s the best way to project power, strength and conviction around the world. People who don’t understand that don’t understand the nature of the modern world.”

Are the Trumpet’s views on Europe “pathetic”? To find out what we say about Britain’s future with Europe, and its army, read our article “Does Britain Know What It’s in For?”