Big British defense cuts weaken Pentagon's top military partner
| Washington
When George W. Bush formed his 2003 鈥渃oalition of the willing鈥� to invade Iraq, the president turned to Britain's Tony Blair 鈥� not only because the prime minister was one of the few 鈥渨illing鈥� world leaders, but also because the British military remained a robust defense force with global capabilities.
The British government鈥檚 announcement this week of a review that calls for the biggest cuts in British defense spending since the end of the cold war is raising questions about Britain鈥檚 ability to remain a global security player in coming years.
Another hot topic accompanying Tuesday鈥檚 announcement of an 8 percent cut in military spending over the next four years: the impact a retrenched British military will have on the Anglo-American 鈥渟pecial relationship.鈥�
The British defense cuts 鈥渨ill significantly weaken British military power and reduce the long-term ability to fight alongside the US,鈥� says Nile Gardiner, director of the Heritage Foundation鈥檚 Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom in Washington.
With no other Western power stepping in to fill Britain鈥檚 shrinking boots, however, 鈥淎t the end of the day Britain will remain America鈥檚 most reliable ally as well as America鈥檚 only first-rate military ally,鈥� he says.
Still a reliable partner?
In announcing a recalibrated military posture Tuesday, Prime Minister David Cameron emphasized that Britain will maintain its commitments to NATO operations in Afghanistan and will remain capable of launching and participating in global security operations 鈥渁s needs be.鈥�
But a planned reduction in total military personnel of at least 7,000 soldiers 鈥� from a total force of around 100,000, or smaller than the US Marines alone 鈥� could leave Britain a less reliable partner for the US in the future, some military experts say.
In Britain the new military posture may be widely viewed as a 鈥渂alancing鈥� of military commitments and financial means, but 鈥渇or senior US officials, however, the bigger concern is that America鈥檚 most militarily capable and politically willing partner now joins the ranks of many of its NATO brethren in reducing its share of the burden of maintaining mutual security,鈥� says Stephen Flanagan, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, in comments on the CSIS website.
The concern in Washington, he adds, is 鈥渢hat the gap between American and European defense spending and military capabilities will yawn even wider.鈥�
Washington intervenes
The defense cuts were at one point expected to be even 鈥渕ore draconian鈥� 鈥� as much as 20 percent, something he says would have portended 鈥渁 catastrophic scenario for Britain as a world power,鈥� says Heritage鈥檚 Mr. Gardiner. But the intervention of US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates with their British counterparts played a significant role in the government鈥檚 final decision to reduce the planned cuts, he adds.
President Obama spoke with Mr. Cameron by telephone Monday about the strategic review and the planned defense cuts. In a subsequent statement, the White House said that in the conversation Mr. Obama 鈥渆mphasized how much the United States values the United Kingdom鈥檚 contributions to global security.鈥�
It said he told Cameron 鈥渢hat in the context of our special relationship and shared commitment as NATO allies, he appreciates the Cameron government鈥檚 commitment to retain the full spectrum of military capabilities that permits our forces to partner effectively together around the world.鈥�
The cuts will inevitably lead to closer cooperation between the British and the French militaries in matters of hardware, Gardner says. But he does not see the cuts reinvigorating the idea of a European defense posture, something he says Cameron and his conservative government do not favor.
Still, a Nov. 2 Anglo-French summit is set to focus on opportunities for developing 鈥渏oint defense efficiencies鈥� such as joint carrier operations, notes Mr. Flanagan of CSIS. Over the long term, he adds, such closer coordination between the two strongest European defenses could end up 鈥渕aking way for a new kind of 鈥榮pecial鈥� relationship.鈥�
