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International News Desk An agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom will be signed, in order for the two allies to shrink their military capability and retreat from the armed intervention's they have actively supported in recent decades.
Philip Hammond, the UK’s new defence secretary will also have the opportunity to discuss with his opposite number at the Pentagon Leon Panetta, the availability and rising cost of the US-made joint strike fighters assigned for HMS Prince of Wales, Britain’s new aircraft carrier.
In light of US’s plans to withdraw more troops from Europe, a decision which appears to be a turning point in transatlantic relations, Hammond will insist on European member states of Nato to "pulltheir weight", officials say.
As Panetta is expected to announce cuts in the US defence budget, Hammond will stress the similarities in the US and UK economic situations. He will underline the importance of building strong economies in order to succeed and maintain long-term military capability to project power and maintain defence. He will also emphasise that the present debt crisis is threatening the future security of the two nations with US not even being able to afford dealing with several threats coming from different sources.
The Pentagon has been asked for cuts of $400bn by the US government, Panetta is expected to announce the results of a Pentagon strategic review, which the US is expected to abandon its conventional goal of being able to fight and win two wars at the same time. As a result British defence officials are worried that because of pressures on the US budget, US will consider abandoning Europe and turn to Pacific and potential threats in the area.
Hammond will also add that the cases of Libya and Afghanistan showed that Nato’s help in collective security cannot be taken for granted as many countries are failing to meet their financial responsibilities to Nato or opting out of operations. He will not mention names, though it is clear that he has Germany, Poland and Spain in mind.
In addition to cuts made last year, the UK is still seeking to make significant cuts in its defence budget. Its two single most expensive commitments are replacing the Trident nuclear missile and building two carriers for the navy. The carriers’ attack aircraft, supplied via the US joint strike fighter (or F-35) project is now estimated at £100m pounds each. However, the Pentagon may delay or scale the project back leaving the UK carriers with more worries.
Hammond will also answer back to Iran’s threat to disrupt the sea passage leading to the Persian Gulf, through which 40% of internationally traded oil flows, arguing that such disruption would damage regional and global economic growth and characterising it illegal and unsuccessful. He will say that British warships, including minesweepers will keep on playing a major role in the Gulf as an answer to Tehran’s threats to shut the strait.
Reporting by Angeliki Derveni
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