We Remain vital

Alex Orr has some rather inflated ideas of the importance of the EU in military matters and a rather deflated idea about the UK’S (Letters, 16 August).

It’s all part of talking the UK down, in line with the Remainer outlook. The EU is trying to create its own military forces, as a political exercise, despite Nato protecting Europe since 1949. The EU has nothing that Nato does not already offer, but Nato has added US clout. Indeed, the United Kingdom is very much to the fore in protecting Europe, including the EU, despite ludicrous econo-

mies demanded by the Treasury.

The EU did nothing about the Balkans conflict in the 1990s. It came down to the UK and the US, in great measure, to bring that to an end.

In the Ukraine, it was the EU’S creation of the “eastern partnership” of what Russia regarded as “anti-russian” states on their borders in 2008 which led to the fall of the Ukrainian government and Putin’s takeover of the Crimea.

Surely, it was blindingly obvious that Russia could not have its Black Sea Fleet based in part of an EU territory?

The RAF has been (and is still) actively involved in Syria and British forces are in Afghanistan. A new Royal Navy base just opened in Bahrain. British forces are deployed in several locations in Europe, as well as Brunei and they are currently actively assisting the French in Mali in anti-terrorist operations. Hardly a diminishing power.

ANDREW HN GRAY Craiglea Drive, Edinburgh