The Minister for the Armed Forces visited the United States of
America this week (6 – 9 November) for talks with key officials
and political leaders to reaffirm the UK’s deep defence and
security relationship with the US – one of the closest such
partnerships between any two nations in the world.
Minister for the Armed Forces, Rt Hon , said:
The UK’s defence and security relationship with the USA is
uniquely close, and the sight of British and American aircraft
landing on a British aircraft carrier stationed off America’s
coastline is the perfect demonstration of the depth of that
alliance.
I have held productive discussions with senior administration
officials and military chiefs to discuss the future of this
relationship in the context of serious conflicts both in Ukraine,
and now in the Middle East.
His visit began at the United Nations headquarters in New York,
where he met the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations,
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, for discussions on the UN’s peacekeeping
reforms and how the UK can contribute to them.
He then visited the US Military Academy, West Point, to meet
senior leaders and cadets to understand what the UK armed forces
could learn from the US Army’s approach to training the next
generation of leaders.
In Washington DC, the minister held talks with senior officials,
discussing areas for further strengthening the UK-US defence
relationship, as well as support for both Israel and Ukraine. He
then met senior politicians in Congress for further talks on
defence cooperation and on continuing support for Ukraine has it
fights to regain its sovereign territory.
His visit to the US coincided with that of the aircraft carrier
HMS Prince of Wales – the largest ship ever built for the Royal
Navy – which has been conducting trials with US
armed forces off the east coast to test the future of naval
aviation. Visiting the ship off the coast of Virginia with the US
Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro, the minister had the
chance to speak to the ship’s company about their work and see
first-hand the ability of British and American forces to operate
alongside one another.
While in Norfolk, he also met senior NATO commanders to discuss
UK-NATO collaboration, and had a chance to meet the more than 100
UK personnel stationed there – just some of the thousands of
British personnel based in the US.
