Defence is at the heart of the relationship between the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US). We fought two world wars together, and we have been side by side in most conflicts since. Our shared values helped to create the open international order, under which world trade has grown and democracies have flourished since the end of the Cold War.
Differences of view across the Atlantic are not new. Challenges closer to home shape each of our priorities, and there have long been American concerns about the equitable sharing of the defence burden between allies. Today, Britain rightly sees Russia as the main threat to the Euro-Atlantic area; America is unsurprisingly concerned with the growing military and economic power of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the Indo-Pacific. Both of us must deal with the increasingly hostile coalition between the PRC, Russia, Iran and North Korea.
The UK and US have long had a deeper and broader military and security partnership than other allies. Britain needs to be ready to increase its commitments to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) if and when any American troops and assets are more urgently required to defend their own homeland. We should also collaborate more closely with the US on emerging technologies, critical minerals and munitions.
This valuable Report from the Council on Geostrategy reviews the state of the UK-US relationship today. It pulls no punches about what needs to be done to reinforce that relationship and make it fitter for purpose in the new geopolitical age that we must face together. I hope that His Majesty’s (HM) Government will seriously consider each of its recommendations.
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