The EU needs Britain’s expertise on defence
If Europe is delusional enough to think it can go it alone, we will have to become closer to the US
Donald Trump might not be the most popular American president in history, but it is none the less important that the British people respect the office of the elected representative of the American people because of the vital role the US continues to play through shared capabilities in safeguarding our national security.
People complain that the so-called special relationship is not quite as “special” as it used to be. But the long-standing cooperation between the US and Britain provides us with rare and privileged access in a variety of highly sensitive fields. GCHQ, our Special Forces and the nuclear deterrent, to name but a few, are all beneficiaries of the unique partnerships they have developed with their US counterparts. Defence, cyber, technology, and combating global crime syndicates are some of the other areas where cooperation works to our mutual benefit.
So, rather than taking offence at the latest tweets emanating from the White House, we should seek to follow Winston Churchill’s advice, and ensure we remain engaged in conversations at the heart of power.
Moreover, maintaining our close relations with the US assumes even greater importance within the context of Brexit, particularly now that Brussels is seriously threatening to end security cooperation with Britain when we leave the EU next year.
On one level, this shows just how unfit for purpose the EU has become. When it comes to defending Europe’s interests, the EU needs Britain and its expertise far more than Britain needs the EU. Britain is the only European member of the five eyes intelligencesharing network – the other members being the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The high-quality intelligence generated by this alliance has helped to prevent countless terror attacks, including attacks planned on the European mainland.
British intelligence and security operate at a level which few, if any, of our European allies can match, while our Armed Forces, despite the budget cuts of recent years, remain capable of mounting large-scale joint multinational operations which, when combined with our elite Special Forces, provide a military punch that no other country in Europe can match.
Dating back to the 1950s, Britain has a proven track record of providing resilient homeland defence from a variety of threats, often helping our European neighbours to contend with similar challenges. There are, of course, some exceptional European military and intelligence-gathering capabilities, but the key point is that these are, in the main, individual sovereign national assets neither owned nor operated by Brussels.
Nor should we forget that on numerous occasions in recent history individual European nation states have not always acted in concert with their European partners. France’s position on during the Falklands conflict, when it actively collaborated with the Argentines against the British Task Force, is one of the more shameful episodes.
The Balkans, Rwanda, Iraq and Afghanistan are other notable occasions when serious fractures have occurred in the EU’S so-called united front.
Moreover, the EU’S threat to cut its defence and security ties with Britain post-brexit comes at a time when the continent faces a threat environment that is as challenging as at any time since the end of the Cold War. The immigration crisis in Europe, for example, is troubling and is likely to get worse when you take into consideration explosive African and Middle Eastern population trends.
Russia, which is still licking its wounds following the collapse of the Soviet Union, has become a belligerent neighbour, one that will continue to cause further political instability in Europe by pursuing a policy of divide and rule.
Autocratic regimes, led by what George Bernard Shaw described as “unreasonable men”, are on the march, and the European elite still appears to cling to the naive hope that liberal freedoms and democratic values will defend themselves, when the truth is that Europe needs strong military and security measures in place if it is to retain the ability to defend its interests.
And, in that context, I firmly believe that maintaining a close and constructive partnership with Britain, and all it has to offer in terms of its preeminence in military expertise, is very much in the EU’S interests.
We in Britain have always fought tyranny and terror, dismissed appeasement and championed freedom, even if the cost has been paid with immense sacrifice in blood and treasure.
If Europe really believes it can afford to go it alone then I sense they are being truly delusional.
For the reality is that, in terms of mounting a common defence against future threats, Europe needs Britain. And if the EU cannot accept this inconvenient fact, then our relationship with the much-maligned Trump administration takes on an even greater significance.
Lieutenant General Sir Graeme Lamb is a former Commander of the Field Army