BRITAIN’S military must return “East of Suez” to combat rising tensions sparked by China and North Korea, former Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon today insists.
And the MoD needs more money and bases to do the job, he said.
Sir Michael spoke out in the forward of a striking new report by Think Tank, the Policy Exchange.
It argues a post Brexit Britain must flex its muscles in the Pacific once more – reversing a 50 year old decision to withdraw forces from the region.
Writing in the forward to the study by Dr Patalano, Sir Michael Fallon said the Royal Navy had “confined itself” to the Atlantic and Mediterranean seas for decades, adding: “Now the fastest-growing region of the world demands our attention again.”
“Instability on the Korean peninsula, tension over Taiwan, the competing claims in the South China Sea, and the increase in defence spending by countries such as India and Australia, all point to the need for us to contribute to the security of trading routes on which we now depend much more heavily.
“The French never left: is it not time, Dr Patalano asks in this excellent historical survey, that Britain, the world’s fifth or sixth largest military power, returned?
DEPLOY OUR NEW CARRIERS INTO CONTESTED WATERS
“Now my successor wants to restore bases further east and to deploy our new carriers into contested waters. That should come with three obvious caveats. First, permanent bases cost significant money and will require a further uplift in the overall defence budget.
“Second, the Royal Navy can no longer operate on its own: freedom of navigation operations, the deployment of the carriers, overflights and exercising all need us to work in tandem with allied navies and air forces and to reflect their differing priorities.
“Third, any such strategic positioning needs to be properly thought through, right across government, to ensure that our security, military and trading interests are properly aligned.”
The paper argues for a new UK base in Australia and access agreements to bases in Japan.
MOST READ IN NEWS
It also calls for a military presence centred on an amphibious ship could influence security in the region, provide disaster relief and ensure freedom of navigation.Reversing a 50-year-old doctrine that saw Britain withdraw from the Pacific and “East of Suez” could be the Defence Secretary’s “signature legacy”, it argues.
The paper’s author is Dr Alessio Patalano, one of the world’s leading experts on Indo-Pacific security.
- GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk
Link
https://textbacklinkexchanges.com/britains-military-must-return-east-of-suez-to-combat-rising-tensions-sparked-by-china-and-north-korea-warns-sir-michael-fallon/
News Photo Britain’s military must return ‘East of Suez’ to combat rising tensions sparked by China and North Korea, warns Sir Michael Fallon
Advertising
You don’t have to pack away your dress just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!
Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/NINTCHDBPICT000364172473.jpg?strip=all&w=960
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий