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AllAfrica
27-06-2025
- Business
- AllAfrica
‘Special relationship': preparing Britain and America for new era
The Council on Geostrategy has just launched 'The 'special relationship': preparing Britain and America for a new era' at a roundtable hosted by the US Embassy in London. This paper focuses on the alliance in a time of immense change and we tasked ourselves with providing an honest, non-emotive read out of the state of the alliance, focusing on converging or diverging interests – and not values. Here are our big three take-aways. 1. We still have many convergences: the US and UK broadly agree that the economic trading order has hurt their economies and led to de-industrialization, but they are unclear as to the future direction. Is a Bretton Woods II needed or a G7/D-10 that creates a group of like-minded economic powers as occurred during the Cold War? Certainly, the US has decided on its trajectory and is moving out on that trajectory, but the UK remains uncertain… 2. We have a long-term divergence in terms of theatre priority, the shift of US focus to the Indo-Pacific has been taking place since 2011, when the Pivot was first announced. The UK should not be surprised. This divergence is, we feel, manageable through the framework that the two theatres are 'interconnected' and that what China and Russia each do in those separate theatres impacts both. This is already true in Ukraine and may become true in other areas. 3. We are more concerned about a divergence in threat priority. For many years, the UK has 'muddled through' on China and though the Strategic Defense Review, National Security Strategy, and China Audit all point to a shift in approach, there are strong indicators that this government – like those preceding it – is being careful to manage relations with Beijing carefully as it is seen as a driver for growth. The US shift on Moscow is also of concern to London, which is skeptical of an attempt at a 'reverse Kissinger' in which the US, to counter China, aligns with Russia. We have made a series of recommendations for both sides – particularly on defense industrial cooperation where we see great potential. You may download the full report here. The executive summary follows: Context: While historical foundations and ties have helped to reinforce the 'special relationship' between the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US), it was common geopolitical interests which bound the two nations together. Chief among these has been to prevent others from dominating the most industrialised and productive regions of Eurasia. As a result, both countries have co-constructed the prevailing international order. Their strength, determination and foresight after the Second World War created alliances and institutions which saw the collapse of the Soviet Union. But the enlargement of that order and the offshoring of manufacturing have empowered adversaries while weakening UK and US strategic industries. Geopolitical changes, especially growing Russian and Chinese aggression, as well as political and strategic changes in Britain and America, have led to fresh questions being asked about the future of the special relationship. Questions this report addresses: What were the fundamental interests which brought the UK and US together, and do they remain cogent? How can the two reinforce convergent interests while simultaneously managing divergent interests? How can policymakers within the two countries redefine the alliance for a new era of geopolitics and revision of the international order? Key findings: In the 2020s, areas of converging interests include: Accepting limits on globalization: This convergence is currently implicit rather than explicit, though both countries recognise the need to rectify the negative impacts which globalisation has had on their own economies and societies. Rising to the geopolitical challenge: Both countries express aspirations of leadership and have shown the will to address systemic challenges, although to differing degrees in their respective theatres. Rebuilding the defense industrial base: Both nations have identified an urgent need to rebuild production capacity and invest in future technologies. Areas of diverging interests include: Theater priority: For the first time in decades, there is a strong possibility that the UK and US will prioritise different regions, with Britain focused primarily on the Euro-Atlantic and America on the Indo-Pacific, though both also retain an interest in the Middle East. Threat precedence: The UK's stance towards the People's Republic of China (PRC) frustrates Washington, while London worries about a softer US approach towards Russia. Cooperation preference: The two countries are somewhat divided on their approach to multilateral institutions, including on climate change and trade arrangements. These areas of divergence notwithstanding, Britain and America have made similar diagnoses of the geopolitical problems they face, even if they are starting to focus on them from different directions. The two nations also share clarity of purpose in many areas: they require closer and continued strategic dialogue to realign growing divergences. One problem, particularly for the UK, is that while US power has surged ahead, the UK, like many other allies, has fallen behind. Britain has a special interest in strengthening itself – economically, diplomatically and militarily – otherwise its voice will weaken in Washington. However, each country is likely to remain the other's most powerful ally well into the 21st century. This necessitates closer cooperation. While the US has other important allies and partners, none of these look set to be more powerful than the UK by the early 2030s, especially if British naval and deterrence capabilities are regenerated. Recommendations: To repurpose the special relationship, the UK and US should: Create a new vision of the future of the international order: Britain and America largely agree on the damage done to their economies and industrial bases by neoliberal economic policies. But they lack a vision and strategy to respond. To chart a way forward with the support of a wider group of key allies, they should: Review the level of rival co-option occurring in existing geoeconomic organisations in order to create new ones where necessary, to deal with trade abuses and to coordinate sanctions more effectively; Explore ways of establishing a new geoeconomic order, designed to reinforce the prosperity and resilience of free and open countries, which seeks to limit the ability of adversaries to compete at the geoeconomic level; Strengthen the alignments between the UK and US scientific and technological bases to generate collaboration on regulations for emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Quantum technologies, behind which like-minded partners can follow. Britain and America largely agree on the damage done to their economies and industrial bases by neoliberal economic policies. But they lack a vision and strategy to respond. To chart a way forward with the support of a wider group of key allies, they should: Plan for a modulated multi-theatre posture: There have been signs from American officials that the US will be far less focused on European security. To mitigate the impact of an American reprioritisation away from Britain's primary theatre, the two governments should: Work together – and within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) – to create a clear timeline for the move of key US assets from Europe to the Indo-Pacific theatre over the next five to ten years. The aim should be to allow the UK and other allies to replace those assets in an orderly manner, rather than during a geopolitical emergency in the future; Prepare for the UK to provide leadership and enhanced deterrence in Europe; Reinforce UK support for US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) in the Indo-Pacific; Develop strategic dialogues on the most pressing issues to foster alignment on key national priorities; Forge a better understanding of how and where both nations could contribute to a simultaneous multi-front crisis if one were to materialise. There have been signs from American officials that the US will be far less focused on European security. To mitigate the impact of an American reprioritisation away from Britain's primary theatre, the two governments should: Coordinate military production: There is consensus in both countries that greater defence industrial capacity is needed to deter and contain aggressors. The realisation that adversaries are now fielding Chinese technologies will help shape priorities. The UK and US should: Commit to spend at least 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defence by 2030, with 3.5% on military capabilities and 1.5% on strategic infrastructure, as per the recommendation of Mark Rutte, Secretary General of NATO; Ensure that there is clear direction and prioritisation for transatlantic defence industrial collaboration; Prioritise rare earth metal supply chain cooperation; continued PRC control over this vital supply chain is simply not sustainable for future UK-US military industrial expansion and operations; Support efforts which contribute to leadership in critical technologies; Build up the production and co-production of munitions at the bilateral, minilateral and multilateral levels; Cooperate more on co-sustainment, particularly to enable British shipyards to support the US Navy. There is consensus in both countries that greater defence industrial capacity is needed to deter and contain aggressors. The realisation that adversaries are now fielding Chinese technologies will help shape priorities. The UK and US should: William Freer is a research fellow in national security at the Council on Geostrategy in London. John Hemmings, PhD, is deputy director (geopolitics) at the Council on Geostrategy. James Rogers is co-founder (research) at the Council on Geostrategy.
Russia Today
10-06-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
NATO chief tells Brits to boost defense spending or learn Russian
British people will have to learn to speak Russian if the UK fails to implement Prime Minister Keir Starmer's plan to drastically boost defense spending, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has said. Moscow has dismissed claims that it plans to invade NATO countries as fearmongering by Western politicians. Last week, Starmer unveiled his cabinet's Strategic Defense Review, promising to invest billions more in weapons factories, drones, and submarines to make Britain 'a battle-ready, armor-clad nation with the strongest alliances and the most advanced capabilities.' London's policy will 'always be NATO first,' he said. However, the prime minister declined to set a deadline for the UK to reach its goal of increasing defense spending to 3% of GDP. Speaking at Chatham House in London on Monday, Rutte said he was 'really impressed' by Starmer's plans. Asked if the UK should increase taxes even further in order to fund the rearmament program, he replied: 'it is not up to me.' 'I mean, what I know is that if we want to keep our societies safe... look, if you do not do this, if you would not go to the 5%, including the 3.5% core defense spending, you could still have the National Health Service, or in other countries their health systems, the pension system, etc., but you had better learn to speak Russian,' he said. Rutte reiterated his claim that Russia could be ready to target NATO countries within the next five years. 'The new generation of Russian missiles travel at many times the speed of sound. The distance between European capitals is only a matter of minutes. There is no longer east or west. There is just NATO,' he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected allegations that Moscow harbors any aggressive intentions toward NATO countries, calling them 'nonsense' designed to alarm the public and legitimize major hikes in defense spending. Moscow has been increasingly critical of Britain's involvement in the Ukraine conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that the UK is '100%' helping Kiev to conduct terrorist attacks inside Russian territory.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What UK's Strategic Defense Review means for Ukraine
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on June 2 that the United Kingdom is moving to "warfighting readiness," in large part in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the threat Russia poses to Europe. He made the comment as his government unveiled its latest Strategic Defense Review, which U.K. General Richard Barrons, one of the review's authors, described as the "most profound" change in U.K. defense in 150 years. The review sets out ambitious new targets, including at least 12 new attack submarines, fleets of drones and autonomous vehicles, as well as 7,000 new long-range weapons. Yet it also comes with urgent warnings. The review reveals that the U.K.'s Armed Forces are currently unprepared to fight adversaries such as Russia or China, nor could they conduct high-intensity warfare in a war like that in Ukraine. Insufficient munition stockpiles, low troop numbers, and ageing equipment are just a few of the weaknesses underpinning its assessment. "The speed of development in Ukraine is so far ahead of what countries like the U.K. is capable of." But as well as committing to bolstering its own defense capabilities, the U.K. must also manage the commitments already made to Kyiv, which it has vowed to support with a "100-year partnership." The U.K. has been one of Kyiv's closest supporters since the start of the full-scale invasion, and the review reiterates long-term support for Ukraine, committing 3 billion pounds ($4.06 billion) annually in military aid. "The bottom line is that all of this is about defending the U.K. after the conflict moves on from Ukraine primarily," Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House, a U.K.-based think tank, told the Kyiv Independent. "Whether it's positive, negative, or catastrophic, either way, that's when the U.K. and its allies need to be ready for Russia's next move." The U.K. wants to create a more flexible procurement process, as demonstrated by that developed by Ukraine throughout the full-scale invasion, a dynamic it says would be vital should the U.K. deploy troops in support of a ceasefire. The review urges deeper defense industrial collaboration, including joint ventures and helping Ukraine access global markets, as well as rebuilding and sustaining its defense sector. This could include helping Ukraine service Soviet-era equipment still used abroad. The U.K. also aims to learn from Ukraine's experience in modern warfare, particularly in land combat, drones, and hybrid threats. However, the review highlights challenges — U.K. stockpiles of weapons such as Storm Shadow long-range missiles have been depleted through its support to Ukraine, and years of underinvestment have weakened domestic defense capacity. The U.K. has announced that it will build six new munition factories. This indicates a significant attempt to address one of the key criticisms of European defense, which is its lack of industrial base and reliance on U.S. support. While U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey has said that "we should expect to see new factories opening very soon," it is not clear how quickly this will translate into meaningful battlefield assistance for Ukraine's Armed Forces. "The speed of development in Ukraine is so far ahead of what countries like the U.K. are capable of, the best-case outcome for Ukraine would just be sending the money there to build stuff," Giles said. When asked how Ukraine could be best supported outside of the recommendations in the review, Giles said the "maximum support" should be given to Ukraine, without the hesitancy about doing damage to Russia." We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UK to provide Ukraine with 100,000 drones by April 2026
The United Kingdom pledged on June 4 to supply Ukraine with 100,000 drones by the end of the financial year in April 2026, after saying that unmanned aerial vehicles have changed the way modern wars are fought. The drone package – valued at £350 million ($473 million) – is part of a broader £4.5 billion military support initiative for Ukraine and marks a tenfold increase from a target of 10,000 in 2024 to 100,000 in 2025, the U.K. government said. "The UK is stepping up its support for Ukraine by delivering hundreds of thousands more drones this year and completing a major milestone in the delivery of critical artillery ammunition," Defense Secretary John Healey said in a statement. The increase in drone support is timely, as it follows Ukraine's successful Operation Spiderweb on June 1. As part of the operation, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) smuggled 117 drones into Russian territory, striking four airbases and damaging 41 military aircraft. In addition to drone deliveries, the U.K. government confirmed the delivery of 140,000 artillery shells to Ukraine since January and will spend an additional £247 million ($334 million) this year to train Ukrainian troops. "We are learning lessons every day from the battlefield in Ukraine, which British companies are using to develop advanced new drones to help protect Ukraine's civilians and also strengthen our own national security," Healey said. On June 2, the U.K. government endorsed an independent Strategic Defense Review that called for a more technologically advanced military to counter emerging threats, including potential Russian aggression. Citing the war in Ukraine, the review emphasized the importance of drones and digital warfare. To that end, the U.K. will devote more than £4 billion ($5.4 billion) to the development of autonomous systems and drones for the UK Armed Forces to help learn the lessons from Ukraine. This follows a recent commitment from the government to increase military spending to 2.5% of total gross domestic product (GDP) by April 2027. Later today, the U.K. and Germany will co-host the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Brussels, where the group will coordinate further military aid to Ukraine. During the meeting, Defense Secretary Healey will officially announce Britain's latest military support initiative for Ukraine. Read also: Ukraine to deploy new units to counter Russian drone attacks, Air Force says We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Saudi Gazette
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Defense plan will ensure UK is ready for war, minister says
LONDON — The government will invest billions of pounds to move the UK to "war-fighting readiness" in the face of a new era of threats from nuclear powers like Russia and China, the defense secretary has said. The government has accepted all 62 recommendations set out in a long-awaited Strategic Defense Review (SDR), including building 12 new nuclear-powered submarines, six new munitions factories and embracing technologies like artificial intelligence. Britain's army needs to become "10 times more lethal" to face a "new era of threats", John Healey told MPs on Monday. Conservative shadow defense secretary James Cartlidge called the plans a "damp squib", which was "underfunded and totally underwhelming". The SDR, carried out by former Labour Defense Sectary Lord Robertson, found the UK's armed forces are "not currently equipped" to fight opponents like Russia or China, with inadequate stockpiles of weapons, poor recruitment and crumbling morale. The report warned the UK is already experiencing daily attacks on its critical national infrastructure, testing the economy's vulnerabilities and "and challenging its social cohesion". Russia is "an immediate and pressing threat", as the invasion of Ukraine "makes unequivocally clear its willingness to use force to achieve its goals", the report finds. Meanwhile, China is a "sophisticated and persistent challenge", the review warns, and is "likely to continue seeking advantage through espionage and cyber attacks" and is expected to have 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030. Iran and North Korea are also highlighted and described as regional disruptors. To fight this, the Ministry of Defense must embrace new technologies such as artificial intelligence, robots and lasers, the review recommends. In a Commons statement, Healey said: "The threats we face are now more serious and less predictable than at any time since the end of the Cold War. "We face war in Europe, growing Russian aggression, new nuclear risks, and daily cyber-attacks at home. "Our adversaries are working more in alliance with one another, while technology is changing the way war is fought. We are in a new era of threat, which demands a new era for UK defense." Other announcements in the review include: A new "hybrid Navy" with Aukus submarines and autonomous vessels that can patrol the North Atlantic £15bn to be spent on new nuclear warheads Commitment to £1.5bn to build six new factories to enable an "always on" munitions production capacity Building up to 7,000 long-range weapons including missiles or drones in the UK, to be used by British forces Pledge to set up a "cyber and electromagnetic command" to boost the military's defensive and offensive capabilities in cyberspace Extra £1.5bn to 2029 to fund repairs to military housing £1bn on technology to speed up delivery of targeting information to soldiers Healey said the changes would help "create a British Army which is 10 times more lethal". He also signalled the government planned to increase the size of the Army from 74,400 to at least 76,000 full-time soldiers after the next election. The UK's Cadet Forces — voluntary youth organizations — will expand by 30% by 2030, with a "gap year" offered to people interested in sampling military life. Some 30,000 highly-skilled jobs would also be created through increased investment in research and weapons manufacturing, Healey said. The review was drawn up with the expectation that defense spending would rise to 2.5% of national income or GDP by 2027 — up from around 2.3% now. But what the review describes as a "small uplift" in the Army has not yet been funded. A defense source also told the BBC the commitment to build up to 12 new attack submarines would require an increase in defense spending to at least 3% of GDP. Ministers say they expect to spend 3% of GDP on defense by 2034 at the latest but have given no guarantees — and the run-up to the review's release has been dominated by a political row over when government will hit the milestone. The Conservatives say the move — which would hike spending by around £20bn a year — should be met by the end of the decade. Cartlidge said that "without the funding, [the review] is an empty wish list" and the "ships and submarines it talks of are a fantasy fleet". The government "wants to send a strong message to Moscow, but the messages he's sending are profoundly weak", Cartlidge added. "After so much hype, the SDR is a damp squib," he said. "It's overdue, underfunded and totally underwhelming. Our armed forces deserve better than this." But Sir Keir Starmer argued the review would help create a "battle-ready, armour clad" nation. Launching the review in Glasgow earlier, the prime minister said: "When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready, and frankly show them that we're ready to deliver peace through strength." Lib Dem defense spokeswoman Helen Maguire said her party welcomed the government's plan, but warned "meeting generational risks will require generational commitments". "It is frankly staggering that we still do not have a clear answer to the vital question where is the money coming from to fund these ambitions," she added. — BBC
