UK Must Defend UK

 

With the performance of the EU over their Covid vaccine strategy even attracting criticism from some of the most ardent “Rejoiners,” it could be helpful to remind everyone about defence.  Although Covid dominates our attention, a determined enemy would relish the opportunity to gain an advantage whilst our attention was focussed elsewhere.  To remind, Article 5 of the NATO Treaty requires all the signatories to come to each other’s aid in the event one of them is attacked – the principle of collective defence.  Could that be relied upon? Following the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 , Julian Roepcke, writing in Standpoint, reports a black joke in the German security community:  “if Russia invades the Baltic states, Germany will of course honour its NATO commitment and defend them – once the German public approves this in a binding referendum.”  As for EU defence initiatives, they offer a full spectrum of military assistance short of actual fighting capability and could be safely ignored.  As Richard Barrons put it, their several Headquarters "provide day care for middle-aged officers" and are "unable to deploy anywhere robustly and quickly."

The astonishing behaviour of the EU over so-called, “vaccine wars,” should remind those in charge of UK defence that we should ensure we are able to look after ourselves.  Recent events give no cause for optimism that the EU could unite on anything (except hatred of Brexit), let alone collective defence.  All of which bodes ill for the future of the new Queen Elizabeth carriers which, with only 48 F35B aircraft, pack only a modest punch and will require the support of allies to maintain even that capability.