A typically insightful piece by Rachel Sylvester today; this time on the Obama administration’s precarious commitment to the “special relationship”. The key revelation is about a report doing the rounds among British defence and diplomatic officials:
“Perhaps most important of all, the military alliance between Britain and America – which has cemented the political alliance since the First World War – is beginning to crack. I am told that a report circulating at the highest level in the Ministry of Defence concludes that there are now serious doubts in Washington about the effectiveness of the British Armed Forces. Senior military figures are said to have been surprised, and shocked, by feedback that arrived in Whitehall last month. Described as ‘highly sensitive’, it raised questions about the worth of the UK contribution to US-led operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. ‘It showed that the Americans don’t value us much,’ one source told me. ‘Britain’s military ability is no longer rated as highly as we thought it was.’
This is not a last gasp by the outgoing Bush administration. Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary, who has been asked to remain in his job by Mr Obama, is one of those said to have reservations about the British military contribution.”Now, this places extra emphasis on the British contribution to the Afghan conflict. It currently looks as though Brown will only partially meet Obama’s call for more troops in the region. This could wreak further damage on the special relationship, but it could also have grave consequences for the severely undermanned mission in Afghanistan. Let’s hope that any change in our Government’s attitude derives from strategic considerations rather than a wholly political desire to cosy-up to the incoming US President.
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