The United Kingdom has suspended elements of its intelligence sharing with the United States following concerns over the legality of recent US military strikes on boats in the Caribbean, according to multiple media reports.
The pause, which reportedly began earlier in the autumn, reflects unease in London over the US justification for the operations, which Washington says targeted drug-trafficking vessels but which have resulted in at least 76 deaths.
British officials are said to be worried that sharing intelligence linked to the strikes could make the UK complicit in actions it believes may breach international law.
The United States gathers intelligence from several partners to support counter-narcotics operations in the region, including from the UK, which maintains oversight of a number of Caribbean territories. British information typically contributes to the Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATFS), headquartered in Key West, Florida, which monitors suspected trafficking activity and coordinates interdiction operations.
More than a dozen allied nations have liaison officers assigned to JIATFS, which is commanded by US Coast Guard Rear Admiral Jeff Randall.
Nothing unusual. There is UK Eyes only stuff we share with nobody and the US has NOFOR categories too within the UKUSA alliance. If we withhold data they’ll get it from other sources or source it themselves.