U.S. Ambassador Jane Hartley spoke today at the Farnborough International Airshow to discuss the unparalleled military and intelligence partnership between the United States and the United Kingdom.
Speaking at the USA Partnership Pavilion, Hartley highlighted the deep integration and cooperation between the two nations’ armed forces.
“In the United Kingdom, we have our closest military and intelligence partner in the world,” Hartley declared.
“I’ve been to RAF Lakenheath, where the Royal Air Force hosts American F-15s and F-35s from the United States Air Force’s 48th Fighter Wing. I got to see the capabilities of our fighter planes up close, and how seamlessly our Airmen train and collaborate with our British allies,” she said.
“The level of integration between our two militaries is unlike anything I’ve seen around the world.”
Hartley also praised the UK’s commitment to defence and its role within NATO. “This is a country which commits to its own defence, and to our collective defence under NATO,” she stated, expressing confidence that the strong defence relationship will continue under the new Prime Minister.
She highlighted the deep, multifaceted bonds between the U.S. and the UK, spanning militaries, universities, businesses, and civil society. “The United Kingdom shares our democratic values and is always ready to defend them,” she noted.
Reflecting on historical and current military cooperation, Hartley remarked on the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the ongoing support for Ukraine amidst the Russian invasion.
“From the very first days of the Russian invasion, the government of the United Kingdom has been by our side to support the Ukrainian defence,” she said. Hartley praised the joint efforts in training Ukrainian soldiers and providing them with essential military equipment.
“I visited some of those Ukrainian soldiers training over in Lydd. Many were young men and women, some as young as 18, but a few in their late 50s as well, including a 71-year-old volunteer,” she shared.
The Ambassador’s remarks also touched on the strategic importance of the U.S. aerospace and defence industry. “Every U.S. aerospace and defence company plays a vital role in projecting both American power and American partnerships across the world,” she stated. She commended the innovation and leadership demonstrated by American and British companies, particularly in adapting to and leading advancements in aerospace technology.
“You have a lot to be proud of. You are the best in the world, bar none: from the big names that everyone knows and trusts to the smaller companies that are crucial links in the supply chain,” Hartley said.
“The bonds between our countries’ militaries, universities, media, businesses, and civil society are so deeply intertwined that they withstand the test of time,” she said. “We truly have no closer military relationship than we do with the United Kingdom.”
Would be nice if a politician with some actual power might make a similar statement, I’m not sure where Kamala comes down on relations with the UK because she has been mute for four years but can’t be worse than Sleepy call me Irish Joe or JD Vance.
agreed. There seems to be some sort of weird coyness in the USA about the reality and benefit of the support that the uk provides for them. I do not really understand why this is.
Every country they visit they usaully give the same kind of speech, Japan is our tier 1 ally, Germany is our top partner, we have a special relationship with the uk. Which makes it all start to ring a bit hollow and underplays the significant relationship the uk and usa have with each other.
I found the article above to be quite refreshing.
Democrats hate us as they hate the association with the countries white Anglo Saxon past. Republicans hate us because we exhibit what it means to be a proper multi cultural society.
Uk USA ties go much deeper than politics and as Obama found it other than the UK there isn’t actually anyone else to work with on the world stage no matter how much you want to big up the French.
“Democrats hate us as they hate the association with the countries white Anglo Saxon past.“
I really don’t think it has remotely anything to do with that. If I had to guess they started looking at the general direction the country is going with brexit and started having visions of seeing early signs of a fractured Europe/NATO and naturally started pushing back against that. The maga crowd on the other hand appears seriously compromised and will do anything that Putin suggest.
Joe Biden hates us because he thinks he is Irish, Barrack Obama hates us because he thinks we killed his dad. Bill Clinton was the last Democrat that was an Anglophone.
Before him it was Kennedy although his Dad hated us because he thought he was Irish as well.
I’m sure Kamala has some beef over her Jamaican ancestry as well.
There’s a definite joke to be made about Americans being Anglophones, but I won’t make it. Especially not to a Scotsman. I remember watching Rab C Nesbitt for the first time. Took most of the episode to tune my ear.
The US vehemently do not trust the French. France have long coveted joining the Five Eyes. The US slam the door very firmly.
All well and good! What happens if Trump gets in? All overseas bases closed down as he retreats from reality?
Don’t panic ! He did nothing of the sort last time, in fact it was Biden who withdrew from Afghanistan, bringing everyone home.
The deal was done by Donald , Biden implemented it.
The deal was done by Donald trump, but it was not in the fashion that Joe implemented it . For a start everyone who helped was to be taken out and including the billions of dollars of equipment. Plus where keeping a airport in American’s hands to prevent all the blunders . Joe literally rolled over and it cosy lives . It was us British called . A shit show .
It’s getting to the point that I hope they do.
If America does drop democracy and move towards fascism it could rapidly become the most dangerous country in the world, for all the talk of Russia and China neither is particularly capable or close to the UK. America is the greatest military power in history.
Hopefully if MAGA does win and project 2025 is implemented the US remains isolationist as I don’t think anyone wants to deal with an expansionist Fascist America under Vance.
It really does beggar belief that the bastion of democracy is sliding more and more towards the dark side! Trump will cosy up to all his dictator mates and set America on that path! NO criticism of Russia,China or N Korea anywhere!
Farage not doing himself any favours either🙄
Since when has the US been a democracy. It is a Republic which follows its constitution to the hilt.
It is a Republic with a Constitution that presumes democracy is better than appointment, so has elected roles.
The three coequal branches of government serve to separate Executive, Legislature and Judiciary though the appointment of Supreme Court Justices by Presidents has been corrupted so that the current Justices work on party lines. They should be putting Jurisprudence first but have been corrupted by money and power.
Their decision on Presidential immunity being a stepping stone to dictatorship by putting one person above the law.
It’s obvious who they did that for (#45) who has 91 indictments going to trial in four jurisdictions. That’s not what the Constitution says so will be overturned when the Jury votes in November for Democracy not dictatorship. Project 2025, look it up!
Many people are wondering how the framers of the Constitution forgot to bar convicted felons from public office while they are not able to vote. Ammendment time!
America’s democracy has always been a bit iffy, always find it funny when some Americans they say the UK isn’t a proper democracy because we have a royal family. The UK ranked 18 (full democracy) compared to the USAs 29 (flawed democracy) on the last democracy index. It’s also worth to note that out of the top 10, 5 are monarchies.
Hi NorthernAlly,
Constitutional monarchies need the democracy they are part of to survive or they’ll be history.
When our late Queen passed away we had two heads of state and three PM’s in 2 months or so and not as much as ripple – constitutionally speaking of course..! There are not many countries that could go through that without some serious issues political upheaval.
The fact is Constitutional Monarchies have a lot invested in the process and I’m not just talking about the families with the sparkly hats, the politicians and the state machine are also in vested in the process. History has a lot to do with it as well, I think. Our democracy rests on foundations that that have been developing for over a 1000 years so we are never without a well supported and, usually, well trained head of state, who in today’s world is in effect guardian of the constitutional process.
Yes, they are privileged but I think they earned their keep two years ago with the turmoil and shock the country went through.
Just to be clear I am not an ardent Royalist, I believe we have a system that, whilst it needs improving*, does work when the chips are down and looking at what is going on in Europe and the US with overly populist governments and disputes over election results I’d vote to keep our system every day of the week.
Cheers CR
*House of Lords needs to be elected by some sort of proportional representation, but that is another debate…
Quite possibly it could lead to civil war again in the USA. Trump seems stupid enough to do that. Now he’s been almost asassinated he condemns political violence, but what was all the hate speech he gave? Or trying to pervert the result of the last election? Or the assault on congress? He promises to come after his opponents. He didn’t take a bullet for democracy as he only believes in democracy when it delivers for him. He took a bullet for his own crimes, stupidity & the threat he is to democracy IMO.
Rather than making America great again he is more likely to make Putin & Xi great.
The rest of NATO need to be ready to step up & champion democracy & liberty if Trump pulls the USA from the world stage.
I really hope they hold it together however the frictions causing the current turmoil are not likely to get better but worse.
I don’t see what force pulls the country back together in the future and political reform is basically impossible for the US now.
It’s very hard to keep such a big country together when it’s democratic.
The current turmoil is a. lot to do with the divisive rhetoric of #45 who is desperate to evade accountability for his life of crime by polarising society into groups that he believes he can con to vote him into power.
He “loves the poorly educated” and also said “I don’t care about you, I just want your vote.”
– Donald Trump 6/9/24
The force that pulls the country together will be a blue wave for Democracy through Congress and White House so that reform of the corrupt Supreme Court can complete and work start on the underlying issues that have split so many from opportunity and belief in the ‘American Dream’. That loss of belief has powered the isolationist maga narrative so enabling the narcissistic sociopath #45.
It’s essential that government of the people by the people means fairness and opportunity for all the people, not just alleged or actual billionaires.
Tweedle-Dee & Tweedle-Dum.
Where’s our trade deal or we still at the back of the que
Still at the back of the que, at least Trump wanted a deal .Biden had no intention. What loyalty is that from our American friend’s 😞
Trump wants the kind of deal where the UK will require a vast increase in petroleum jelly imports 😀
America is not and has never been our friend on trade and everything with Trump is a zero sum game.
Reading the comments stating racism and fascist maga gov… You all off your heads… Last time I checked it was the leftist who is grouping people giving them pronouns and closing down freedom of speech just like the fascist Nazis did in the 30’s oh and they where the liberal workers party… Figure that out… Your inclusions has ruined our militarys and our police forces are cowards secret service is no better wake up to woke up will you
Faragist brainrot got this one
Seems to be an uncomfortable trend.
It’s the worst thing we’ve ever imported from the US.
So do you like democracy then?
Brainless drivel from right trash losers, still sore about your utter failure of the last 14 years 🤡🤣
“The Golden Thread “that links these Great two Democracy’s (who are not shy of admitting errors of the of the past (work in progress)in our joint (History) Together We Stand Devided We Fall /and one day somewhere/sometime in the future (near I am) hopefully optimistic that (Good and Decency Respect and a Deep understanding of Peace will God willing prevail) please remember we are ‘The Ark’s/The Blue Marble floating in the Endless Universe:
You think this was bad. As a manufacturer we purchased accurate tube produced in the uk for years. We now cannot get any without a 2 year waiting list so are required to purchase from Germany. A decent product but approx 10 times the price of pre covid. These
Are the problems government should be dealing with but sadly very few have ever had a manufacturing job.
I heard once a quote that a good friend can criticise you honestly…and so a US General said in Jan 2023 to Ben Wallace that our Army was no longer a top-level fighting force.
(reported by Deborah Haynes, Security & Defence Editor at Sky News 30 Jan23).
The scuttlebutt was that he actually said that the BA was no longer Tier 1 and could barely merit a Tier 2 label. That General was probably not the only US senior officer to think that.
I wonder what it would take for the BA to be regarded by our Allies as Tier 1 (cannot find an actual definition, but US use that terminology when describing SOF/SF). Perhaps a rejuvenated 3 Div with Ajax, CR3, Boxer and RCH-155 (SPG) will bring us up to scratch? IOC Ajax is Dec 25, can’t recall when FOC is. CR3 FOC is late 2030. Delivery of all Boxers and Boxer SPG would seem to be many years away. Would the manpower count have to climb well above 73,000 for BA to be Tier 1? Would we have to re-introduce an IFV to the infantry in the armoured brigades to re-gain Tier 1?
But is 3 Div as a whole going to be well equipped in 6 or 7 or 8 years time? Will all the Boxers required by the army be delivered or just the 623 ordered so far? Will we have sufficient artillery? CSS kit? eg, the under-protected CRARRV will be 42 years old in 2030. Will we have sufficient modern specialised kit such as AD, EW, battlefield radar, anti-drone systems…Will Morpheus v2 come into service?
How about the Field Army that is not 3 Div? Will 1 Div and 6 Div etc get neglected whilst the focus is on recapitalising 3 Div’s heavy kit?
It’s a given that stocks of ammunition would have to be hugely increased for the BA to be considered Tier 1. Will that actually be resourced fully?
I hope the army has got a comprehensive re-set plan, as I don’t think it is all in the FS booklet. Perhaps we just wait and see what SDR says when published ‘in the first half of 2025.’
I think the General in question was referring more to the UK’s lack of numbers, rather than it’s fighting ability which being the case, I think most of us would agree with.
Yes Tom, I am absolutely sure that was his observation.
This is my ‘simplistic’ interpretation, after observing US politics over the last 8+ years. I find it difficult to see how the US is democratic, when all we have witnessed, is two ridiculously wealthy individuals, who bought and paid for their ‘turn’ in the oval office.
Eight years ago, a ‘fruit loop’ got into the white house, after spreading millions of dollars around, to get there.
Four years ago, an ‘aged’ individual used his millions, to have his turn at President. The ‘first past the post’ system we have in the UK, may NOT be the best election method out there, but surely it is way more democratic, than a nutball, then an old dude buying the Presidency of one of the most powerful countries in the world.
All the US wants from the UK, is a stepping stone into Europe. There is no special relationship, and there never was. If the opposite were true, then why did it take decades of the UK asking, before IRA funding was finally curtailed, after 1994.
Well the Americans seem pleased with our military cooperation with them they’re happy to partnership up with our military expertise in this country …but having a free trade deal with them they’re not interested in that are they ? They only person that showed the remotest interest in that was Trump !