The United Kingdom’s Defence After Brexit : Britain’s Alliances, Coalitions, and Partnerships

This new work examines how the European states, the United Kingdom and the United States will approach the defence and Security of Europe in the medium and long-term. It is often assumed that Brexit, the United Kingdom's departure from the political and commercial European Union, would affect defence and security profoundly, but the basis of that assumption is rarely analysed. Bringing together a panel of specialists from Europe, the UK, the EU, and the United States, this volume evaluates the relative position they play in Europe's defence in the era of Brexit. It examines the arguments, challenges, and problems in European defence, and tests them against the residual commitment, cohesion, and capabilities of the states concerned, including Anglo-French military co-operation, the silent Anglo-German partnership, the US-UK Special Relationship, and the emergent Northern Group. Robert Johnson is the Director of the Changing Character of War research centre, and Senior Research Fellow at Pembroke College, University of Oxford Janne Haaland Matlary, is from the Department of Political Science, University of Oslo and is Adjunct Professor at the Norwegian Defence Command and Staff College.-- Provided by publisher Foreword 5 Preface 6 Contents 8 Notes on Contributors 10 List of Figures 13 List of Tables 14 Chapter 1 Introduction 15 Brexit: Defence and Security in the Negotiations 18 How Is Britain’s Defence Role Changing? A Look at Recent History 22 Outline of the Chapters 32 Conclusions 37 Part I Britain’s Partnerships 44 Chapter 2 UK Defence Policy: The ‘New Canada’ and ‘International by Design’ 45 National Interests 48 Unfulfilled Expectations 50 Capability 53 Continuing Challenges 57 The Domains for UK Strategy 59 Conclusions and a Look Ahead 64 Chapter 3 The US–UK Special Relationship and the “Principled Realism” of the Trump Administration 70 The New US Strategy and the Wagers of Bilateralism 72 The United Kingdom 75 Germany 77 Poland 79 A Way Forward 80 Chapter 4 ‘You Don’t Hear the Word Britain Anymore’: Anglo-American Security Relations in the Era of Brexit and Trump 86 Pre-Brexit Preferences and Assumptions 89 Symbolism 91 Political Interactions 96 Bureaucratic Ties 99 Conclusion 103 Bibliography 109 Chapter 5 Franco-British Defence Co-operation in the Context of Brexit 114 Explaining the UK’s Dual Role in Its Partnership with France 115 Status Quo of the Military “Leading Role” by a “Closed” Configuration 119 An Industrial “Supporting Role” Through an “Open” Configuration 121 Bibliography 132 Chapter 6 British-German Defence and Security Relations After Brexit: Quo Vadis, ‘Silent Alliance’? 137 German Perspectives on Brexit: Dashed Hopes and Present Realities 138 Germany’s Importance for British, European, and Transatlantic Security 140 Working Side by Side on NATO’s Eastern Flank 143 Dissimilar and Unequal Allies on NATO’s Southern Flank 148 Conclusions 152 Bibliography 161 Chapter 7 A Special Partnership? The EU’s Military Ambition and the Role of Britain 169 The EU: Moving Towards a Defence Union? 173 Defence Policy and Strategy vs. Industrial Security Policy 174 “So What Do They Contribute?”—Military Contributions Determine Political Influence 176 EU Policy Proposals 177 The EU’s Global Strategy: Devoid of Serious Strategic Thinking 181 The French Joker in the Deck 183 Germany and the East-Central Europeans Do Not Contribute to an EU Defence Union 186 Criticism of Trump Does Not Lead to an EU Defence Role 187 Brexit Does Not Mean Exit? British Positions on EU Defence 188 Conclusions: EU’s Defence Prospects Dimmer Than Before 191 Part II Britain’s Coalitions 197 Chapter 8 Britain’s Joint Expeditionary Force: A Force of Friends? 198 Introduction 198 Categorising the JEF’s Cluster of Eight 200 Previous Research 201 The ‘Gap-Filling’ Motive 203 What Is the Evidence for ‘Gap-Filling’? 204 The ‘Network’ Motive 208 What Is the Evidence for ‘Networking’? 210 Conclusion 213 Bibliography 221 Chapter 9 Sweden, Finland, and the Defence of the Nordic-Baltic Region—Ways of British Leadership 224 Sweden, Finland and the West During the Cold War 226 Sweden—‘Neutral on Our Side’ 226 Finland—Gradual and Cautious Westernization 228 Sweden, Finland, and the West During the 1990s and the 2000s 230 Active Partners of NATO 231 Active Members of the European Union 232 Nordic Cooperation on Security and Defence 232 Sweden, Finland and the West in the ‘New Cold War’ 234 Conclusions 241 Bibliography 245 Chapter 10 The JEF as a Force Multiplier: The Example of Joint Amphibious Response in the Nordic-Baltic Theatre 253 Introduction 253 Optimal Military Strategic Effect 255 Strategic Options for Employment of the Amphibious Force 258 The Baltic 259 Northern Norway 261 Comparing the Baltic and Northern Norway 263 Shaping the Battlespace for Early Employment of the Amphibious Force 263 How Can the Amphibious Force Improve Its Utility in Northern Norway? 265 Conclusion 266 Bibliography 268 Front Matter ....Pages i-xvii Introduction (Rob Johnson, Janne Haaland Matlary)....Pages 1-29 Front Matter ....Pages 31-31 UK Defence Policy: The ‘New Canada’ and ‘International by Design’ (Rob Johnson)....Pages 33-57 The US–UK Special Relationship and the “Principled Realism” of the Trump Administration (Andrew A. Michta)....Pages 59-74 ‘You Don’t Hear the Word Britain Anymore’: Anglo-American Security Relations in the Era of Brexit and Trump (Jeffrey H. Michaels)....Pages 75-102 Franco-British Defence Co-operation in the Context of Brexit (Samuel B. H. Faure)....Pages 103-125 British-German Defence and Security Relations After Brexit: Quo Vadis, ‘Silent Alliance’? (Håkon Lunde Saxi)....Pages 127-158 A Special Partnership? The EU’s Military Ambition and the Role of Britain (Janne Haaland Matlary)....Pages 159-186 Front Matter ....Pages 187-187 Britain’s Joint Expeditionary Force: A Force of Friends? (Tormod Heier)....Pages 189-214 Sweden, Finland, and the Defence of the Nordic-Baltic Region—Ways of British Leadership (Joakim Erma Møller, Magnus Petersson)....Pages 215-243 The JEF as a Force Multiplier: The Example of Joint Amphibious Response in the Nordic-Baltic Theatre (Richard Cantrill, Eystein Lockwood Meyer)....Pages 245-261