US President Donald Trump has warned that the United States “won’t be there to help” the United Kingdom, in unusually direct remarks made as American forces continue a major air campaign against Iran from bases in England.

In a post on social media, Trump criticised the UK for not joining US operations, writing:

“All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved… go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT.” He added: “You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore.”

The comments come as the United States significantly expands its long-range strike presence in the UK under Operation Epic Fury, with RAF Fairford now hosting a substantial concentration of American heavy bombers supporting operations against Iranian targets.

At least 23 US bombers are now forward deployed in England, including eight B-52H Stratofortress aircraft and a larger contingent of B-1B Lancers, according to open-source tracking and analysis by UK Defence Journal Senior Editor Jon. The most recent arrivals, operating as callsigns “BAZOO51” and “BAZOO52”, landed at Fairford in recent days, adding to what appears to be a deliberate build-up of strike capacity.

Huge build up of American bombers in England

Operation Epic Fury, led by U.S. Central Command, is focused on degrading Iranian military capabilities, including missile infrastructure, with long-range bombers forming a central element of sustained conventional strike operations. RAF Fairford’s ability to host all major US strategic bomber types has made it a key hub, allowing aircraft to launch missions into the Middle East more efficiently and maintain a high tempo of sorties.

The scale of the deployment underlines the continued integration of UK basing into US global strike operations, even as the President’s remarks introduce a markedly more transactional tone towards allies.

There has been no immediate response from the UK Government, and there is no indication of a formal change to US defence policy, but the remarks were delivered as US forces continue to operate at scale from British soil.

George Allison
George Allison
George Allison is the founder and editor of the UK Defence Journal. He holds a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and specialises in naval and cyber security topics. George has appeared on national radio and television to provide commentary on defence and security issues. Twitter: @geoallison
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149 COMMENTS

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  2. take what ? i thought the war was over, Trump already declared victory 12 times in the last two weeks ! surely the strait is open right?

    • Trump hasn’t quiet yet realised that him saying so doesn’t make it reality. He badly wants out of this war and keeps hanging options out to Iran to give him the win but they keep shoving them back in his face.

      • Agreed. The issue is our economy is still in a mess that the last government left it in, and trump going all emo and applying a load of tarrifs on us isn’t what we need right now, plus polictically Starmer is terrible domestically and so his rating are already in the drain as none of the good is getting reported.

        It’s why we need the opposition to do the dirty work, since they won’t be in power until after trump is out, the issue is the conservatives and reform are fully up the where the sun doesn’t shine of both trump and Putin. Historically they would as the opposition normally supports the government with foreign policy at times of conflict, but strange times we live where the openly talk about the UK doing things that would not be in our national interest.

      • Agree, kick the bloody lot of them out of the UK and Europe. I for one have been sick of American arrogance for decades. They are a tumour, best cut out and got rid of.

  3. Does President Trump actually exist? If you had to invent a personality to get the most social media clicks possible, he would be hard to beat. Leaves me wondering if he’s really Elon Musk’s AI slop.

  4. This was an obvious conclusion after the UK and now Europe, have pretty much jacked on the US in its attack on Iran. Whether you support the attack or not (I supported the efforts at reducing the Iranian nuclear capability previously but a little unsure about this epic mission creep) Europe and the UK still rely on the US for its kit and defence needs, for at least the next few years till we can get a grip of our own capabilities. Orange man will never forget the way he perceives he and the US have been treated and is erratic enough to risk NATO in an effort at retribution, both political and militarily, for this deemed offense. Stand by for more chaos due to the losers who are currently in power on both sides of the pond.

      • Exactly, he made in into a transaction. Europe was fine to buy US arms at a cost, but support was provided by the US itself.

        Putting aside the conflict is outside the scope of NATO, trump sees it as a extension of US power and control. Which it has been for decades but things like stitching up NATO allies over Afghan exit etc have made the other counties realise it wasn’t a two way deal and so don’t see the need to ask how high when he says jump.

      • Almost certainly true he would see it as damaging economic and military rivals while he made billions out of it. Making America Great will rely on substantially taking others down to help any America move up. Beating up foreigners is indeed how his supporters see making it great, thus we see his new wars.

        • And one of the beat downs was Europe. America could never willingly see Europe emerging as its own geopolitical pole. The difference between MAGA US and the previous US administrations was that there had been an essential agreement that Europe would not challenge the US led hegemony the US would support its defence.. MAGA have destroyed that it wants MAGA hegemony yet at the same time refusing to acknowledge the investment that requires..

    • World leaders should start standing up to the narcissist megalomaniac bully and this is a good moment to do it. He shows no respect for others, and could not care less about allies. It has been proven again and again that with him, those who show strength have some probabilities of seeing him backing off, while those who show weakness have certainty of being crashed.

      • However “world leaders” are also very much like Trump, selfish, power crazy and in politics for themselves! The only difference is Trump is not controlled by any speech writers or parliamentary type secretary!

        • This is an argument you hear time and time again. The world of politics is toxic right now. Twenty or Thirty years ago I would have argued (and did argue) that the vast majority of politicians were decent people fighting for policies they and their constituants believed in. There were however same ‘bad eggs’ however I think that the media stirring thing up into scandals has simply increased the number of problem politicians to an all time high. Now survival is about having an extremely thick skin and being the most devious. Not qualities I’m looking for in a politician. Trump managed to get himself elected on the basis of getting rid of standard DC politicians. The American public are probably going to get some form of education as to what those politicians did for them as the mistakes of the new administration build.

          Donald is not attempting to guide and perfect his language. He believes he is perfect already and anything he says or does must by definition be right.

        • To be fair he’s more fucked up than biden was, at least with biden he had advisors that probably helped a lot while trumps advisor’s are all shit scared to say anything and if they do probably end up being investigated, and should it not be the Americans that go to open the straight of Hormuz considering they bloody started it, you maybe agree with him but the man’s a complete dick who canni handle bein wrong the bellend 👍

          • To be fair Biden needed advisors as he was clueless about what was going on and an absolute puppet president the Democrats kept going for fear of having no one else with any sort of IQ to take over! Trump did escalate this and subsequently the straits are closed, but regardless of who’s fault, we can play the blame game after, but it’s in all our interests to try and open it up again! After all, if I arrive at a car cash, with casualties, we treat the injured first before apportioning blame, yes?

    • Do you see any potential winners either side of the pond? Maybe Newsome there but here, don’t see one at all and either way the damage caused by Trump will make life almost impossible to navigate for many a year… at least.

    • The b52’s will be bombing Iran missiles and that’s a certainty ? Is Israel providing the coordinates. A levelling of Tehran won’t be good for anyone. We should not allow bombing missions from uk.

      • No one will be levelling Tehran! But if that’s your opinion on using UK bases then that’s up to you, however I disagree.

    • If UK don’t understand that only US and Israel are stopping the Ayatollah regime of taking over the Gulf and Levant then they (UK+EU) are almost useless.
      That said the US – EU separation was written in the wall.
      Western EU elite pretty much hates US , changes in US population make them overall with much less connection to Europe. It is even tragically funny that EU supports Democratic Party that is embracing neo-Marxism, racialism which in fact makes the break faster.
      Anyway who will respects you when you abstained vote that in practice supports a factually incorrect resolution that makes you the author of the biggest crime…?

    • Mate, the bloke is ill and furthermore being manipulated to earn money for his cronies.

      However, the markets have sussed him and that is out of the bag.

      Sir Keir Starmer is no Churchill. Well, great! The US military adventure of ground troops on Iraqi Islands is just another Gallipoli, and that was Churchill’s idea… and ask the ANZACs how they feel about it, 110 years later.

      Israel, IMHO, are manipulating this conflict and I want no BritMil involved except for self-defense.

      Should Israel and more specifically, the extreme Jewish people be the chosen people then ask the US to stop all aid and let God decide; God is just, apparently, but, I think I have a good idea on the outcome.

      Nice to see your brethren, dropping in, poor drills on not getting the tea on the brew afterwards 😉

      Oil? Radical idea, just stop oil. I don’t support that organisation however, turning off the money to all the camel jockies wouldn’t be a bad idea, would it?

      Let them go back to 🐫. No more money to fund terrorism, China, North Korea, Russia and kick India and Pakistan squarely in the gonads.

      Take care.

      • Boom you’ve covered most topics there mate in a few seconds 😂👍 and for me, no matter the exercise, hit the DZ, HR and D then a piss!!!!👍

        • Should airborne have ever copied the Soviet BMD – you lot could have a put a BV on the back of it, how good would that have been!?

      • Did you watch the Perun video where he basically looked at what was happening in Iran and said “It looks to me like Israel is ignoring what the US wants and is doing whatever tf it feels like.”

        Also question, if you are in favour of moving away from Oil Dependency what about Just Stop Oil don’t you like?

        • Hi Dern

          That’s a good call out.

          I would suggest that their tactics alienate the ordinary the public and, might, even lead to some resentment to the sentiment and make people retrench into their views that there is nothing wrong with cars, just get out of my way.

  5. So the current US airbases in the UK, which are launching bombing missions on Iran, are expendable for any future American military operations. I’m sure the Pentigon will love that. So goodbye, Mildenhall and Lakenheath, the latter of which just underwent a big infrastructural upgrade for their F-35A fleet. What a waste of US dollars! Could Lakenheath become a second F-35 base for the RAF and eventually Tempest? As for Fairford, an additional heavy transport base, and Mildenhall, a housing estate, as planned before its reprieve a few years ago.

    • If they do close due to his child like antics, it will be the UK and Europe who will be the losers in the near term for sure. But by then the orange man will hopefully be gone and any plan to close/remove will be cancelled by the grown ups in the room mate.

      • Obviously I was being facetious when suggesting the US stations would close en masse. If, however, Trump bullies his way into a third term, that could be another matter. When Milldenhall was earmarked for closure and assets moved to Germany, the drawdown timing was three/four years. With that in mind, let’s say it takes a year to announce withdrawal from the UK, plus four years to move out; then the new occupant of the Oval Office may have a different view on the matter?

        • The big thing for me with keeping US bases, is not that we get a huge benefit out of them.
          It’s that the way the US forces are strung out across Europe, should someone, say, attack Greenland and perciptate a war with Europe, it’s a decent hostage force.

          Say what you want about the US Forces, 80,000 of them spread out across half a continent, in small garrisons of at most brigade strength, and in many cases not co-locating logistics etc, wouldn’t do well.

          • Trump is a random virus, and like its electronic counterpart, it can react in a similar fashion when it becomes infected. This leaves everyone in a state of imbalance, which could inevitably be catostrophic in so many ways. America’s military high command is as much a victim as the rest of us. Only the retention of the joint secret services in their current form is possibly, the only calming factor. The US midterm elections offer an opportunity for the American electorate to begin pinning back Trump’s erratic behaviour.

    • Never mind airbases.
      Digby.
      Menwith Hill.
      Wyton.
      Bude.
      Cheltenham.
      Welford.
      Croughton.
      Feltwell.
      Molesworth.
      Off you go, lets see how your intell and comms goes in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa with the plug pulled on those.
      Sure, some nation might volunteer to replicate those capabilities.
      Chickens are flying around the roost so much around HMG of the last 30 years who’ve damaged our ability to act independently that they’re blocking out the sun…

        • The Europeans are seeing the light there, they won’t even let Space X launch their new satellites even at a 5th of the cost. I see also they are launching a competitor to Microsoft Office that has been sitting around for a while. Near total self reliance is the aim however long it takes. Where it leaves us I don’t know.

          • The Cloud Act is a double-edged sword. Not only does it allow the US goverment to request data from any US companies subsidiaries based anywhere in the world, we (the UK) have a reciprocal agreement for serious crime, which means we can get data on US-based suspects and they can also get data from British companies.

            The EU doesn’t have a reciprocal agreement, so if you want to keep your data safe from US prying eyes, you’d want to run an EU company’s software through a UK subsidiary. I understand it might be another year or so before the EU has a full-function competitive hyperscaler, but they are definitely working on it. Deutsche Telekom, OVHCloud (French). Even Lidl is developing one — I shit you not — called STACKIT.

      • You are so, so correct, Daniele. These places and a few others have Americans swanning in and out at a very high tempo at present. Maybe we can line it all with our “Toy” Carriers?

        • You know me, I’ve researched enough to see just how high the levels of co-operation are, and I’m not even providing any detail.
          We’d both be badly damaged if the US walked away.
          And lets not beat about the bush, then.
          Our overseas bases that they use, out!
          Ascension. Out.
          Ayios Nikolios. Out!
          Diego Garcia….quite why we are paying billions to allow an ally to use it who abuses us so….Out!
          The US needed the remnants of the British Empire to help it spread it’s tentacles around the world. It bases assets for their own power projection.
          In retaliation, we’d be screwed if Trident missile sharing and maintenance was stopped and we’d lose our access at Dam Nek.
          It could get seriously ugly.
          I’ve always supported the UK US link up as I know what backup it provides the UK that we lack.
          But being treated like utter shit by this idiot of a president is trying even my patience.

          • So bloody true. TBH, the bods I work with are embarrassed. Not one has changed their opinion of us in the past 16 months. It’s just the annoyance of something that was cleared when Biden was in, now being “not available” until you send it upstairs or down that place off Trafalgar Sq.

          • Trying my patience too. Your comment on hijacking the remnants of empire is correct, they started that as part of various conditions for equipment in WW2, then grabbed what it could after WW2 also.

          • You’re absolutely right Daniele, however, sadly, this kind of rhetoric ignores the terminal dependency of the UK’s high end military architecture. While geography remains a British asset, the technical brain required to utilise that geography from Trident’s fire control at Dam Neck to the F-35’s data links is exclusively American. A UK-US divorce is not a bold assertion of sovereignty; it is a fast track to strategic irrelevance. The UK lacks the industrial mass to replicate the US nuclear and satellite infrastructure, and the MoD’s financial black hole prevents any serious move toward true independence. Ultimately, the ‘Special Relationship’ is a pragmatic hostage situation, the US requires the UK’s plots of earth to project power, and the UK requires the US’s ‘Intellect’ to remain a nuclear power. Any attempt to break this bond is a choice for national de-armament by default.

            Again, you’re right “It could get seriously ugly.” If we think Trump’s temperament and volatility are intolerable now … shutting the US out of UK bases would open up a whole new level of incomprehensible spite.

            Viewed through a psycho-social lens … and a significant body of clinical and geopolitical analysis has emerged this year. The “Successful Sociopath” label is a term increasingly used by mental health professionals and political theorists to describe Trump as a person who possesses the functional intelligence to navigate complex systems while lacking the internalised moral constraints typically associated with the super-ego, again, these are a structural perspective supported by several high-resolution technical and psychological indicators documented in recent months.

            The psychological decomposition of the ‘id-driven’ presidency has been a central theme in academic discussion throughout 25/26’, clinical psychologists, such as those contributing to the “Duty to Warn” movement, argue that the President’s behaviour maps precisely onto the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 5th edition) criteria for ‘malignant narcissism’. This condition is characterised by a triad of narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial behaviour (the sociopathic element), and a grandiose, paranoid temperament.

            According to a March 26’ report from the Institute for Psychoanalytic Studies, the ego in this instance is not a mediator of reality, but a servant to the id’s immediate demands for validation and dominance. This explains the extravaganza driven nature of his 26’ foreign policy, where long-term strategic processes are routinely sacrificed for immediate, claimable victories, such as the recurring, public demands for the annexation of Greenland or the sudden withdrawal from 66 international organisations in January 26’.

            This geopolitical ‘tearing asunder’ is evidenced by the systematic dismantling of the post-1945 rules-based order. The Brookings Institution noted in February 26’ that the administration view international order as a ‘cloud-castle abstraction’, preferring a transactional spheres of influence model.

            This is the “Successful Sociopath” in action, treating allies like the UK and Australia as counterparties” rather than partners, and utilising economic coercion such as the ongoing trade wars with the world to extract personal and political wins.

            Financially, the id-ego imbalance is reflected in the 26’ budget priorities. While the US economy reported a 4.3% GDP growth in late 25’, the Centre for American Progress argues this is a “predatory growth” achieved by gutting innovation and environmental protections. The hollowing out of the State Department and USAID in early 26’, replaced by a “Board of Peace” staffed by loyalists, confirms that egotistical delusions of personal diplomacy have superseded professional, institutional statecraft.

            The contemporary view of the US presidency in 26’ is that of a “Psychological Disruption” made manifest in global policy. By operating with a powerful id and a minimal super-ego, the administration has replaced predictable, rules-based diplomacy with a volatile, transactional egoism. This has led to the shredding of the liberal international order, as decades of alliance-building are discarded in favour of egocentric-driven logic.

            The global ‘Trust Deficit’ is the natural result of a leader who perceives the world only through the lens of personal validation and winning. While the US remains an economic and military titan, it is now an unreliable hegemony whose actions are dictated by the internal whims of a single individual rather than the collective interests of its people or its allies. In 26’, the ‘Successful Sociopath’ is no longer just a clinical theory; it is the primary operating system of the world’s most powerful nation.

            They use the term “Successful Sociopath” …
            I have other terms, one of them involving; a c, a u, an n and a t.

      • You forgotten about Diego Garcia and Ascension…

        TBH the Mango Mussolini will have forgotten this post a couple of hours from now…

      • Those places you mention may be the tip of the iceberg in terms of the depth of intel-gathering facilities we don’t (officially) know about. Since WW2, US/UK’s secret world of monitoring friends and foes must be so entrenched that no delusional president could ever dismantle it at will.

        • Yes, the UKUSA agreement that grew into 5 Eyes goes deep, very deep.
          Most locations don’t even need to have people, if you know about SIGADS, there are dozens or maybe hundreds of links into the world’s communications webs between GCHQ and NSA.
          Most are classified, as in where they are. Some have been identified, such as UKM257.
          Go on, Trump, throw all that away!

          • Somehow Europe has to tread water with Trump until he goes, and NATO, though on a knife edge, could exist without American clout for the next three years, but only on the assumption the next president will revert to pre-Trump commitments. As for intelligence services, it could be business as usual regardless of Trump.

            • In the UKIC, maybe.
              But remember the 3 services support the intelligence community, and they’re embedded with their US equivalents in some places.
              And the USIC has it’s military side just as ours do.
              A US pull out would impact them regardless, it’s intertwined.

      • Damn, that’s quite a feisty turnaround DM! At first reading I thought you were just setting out options, didn’t realise you were serious. It’s good to remind the more, let’s say hardline Americans that a lot of the US status in the world comes from the goodwill they previously engendered in their allies.
        If it’s any relief there can surely be no way cuts continue after this. The ‘Independence from US’ line is winning over a lot of people who would previously have gone on about Western abuse of power. I even saw a Labour think tank (Labour Future) saying we should do 5% by 2030 and replace Trident ourselves.

        • It just pisses me off, Toby, we have been such thick allies for so long and this idiot is walking all over it.
          I know, as I’ve said before, that it crosses beyond and deeper than political spats.
          But this is poor.
          You know what I think of Starmer, yet he’s right to play it cool and stay out of this, we cannot continue to be treated like a bloody poodle.
          Cuts? They’re continuing, and if the Greens get in it’s goodnight Vienna, or the left side of the Labour party.
          So no, I’m not reassured yet on that front.

  6. It’s a classic abusive relationship. The UK and Europe (and Japan, Korea etc) are getting royally buggered by the US and getting blamed for it at the same time. I don’t know what the answer is for sure, but it would be wonderful to be able to tell them to f off and take their UK based stuff with them.

    And whilst fantasising, I wish Europe could become at least militarily independent of the US. Having said that, I guess we more or less are that already. Self sufficient is probably the better term.

    • Europe will just have to rely on the 1.8 million soldiers, 6000 main battle tanks, 1800 combat jest, 60 Submarines and 190 surface combatants it operates to defend itself 😀

      All linked by the best logistics system anywhere on planet earth. I’m sure satellites will be a slight issue but somehow I’m guessing the 55 military satellites European NATO members have will get us buy.

      • Is there a combined, coherent and resilient “European” defence structure?
        Unless Germany and Italy are joining the nuclear club, it depends on the French or UK Govt willingness to play nuclear brinkmanship with Putin.
        We are a 3rd country outside the EU, our interests don’t align necessarily eg on EU expansion.

        • JEF would be the only current pan European structure outside of NATO. The JEF countries would be the countries required to provide the initial response to a Russian incursion anway. The rest of European forces would be required to provide reinforcements but nothing very quickly. Russia has a small airforce and limited ability to deploy a mechanised army.

          A Pan European Defence structure is not a necessity.

          • Russia may decide a bite and hold in the Baltics is all that is required. Plus an attack on fibre optic cables and oil importation and storage routes.
            If it took 10% of Baltic territory and China/ others supplied enough drones to exhaust Euro GBAD stocks , then would collective Europe have the will to sacrifice the troops to get that territory back? If not the whole EU project risks falling and that leaves the question, would a UK Govt commit British lives to recover parts of Estonia ( if say Spain refused) and would the electorate fight or accept conscription?
            I doubt it.
            Not to mention the lack of SEAD, which is what Ukraine lacks, hence static lines and drone-jam.
            Bearing in mind Ru bombers could hit UK at will with cruise and Ballistic missiles at present.

            • I laughed….anyone with rudimentary radar knowledge could build a radar to detect the Russian bombers as they took off.

              The Russian bomber force wouldn’t last a day against eNATO’s F35/Typhoon/F15/16/Rafael/etc fleet

              • How many Cruise missiles or Kinzhal pre emptively launched would it take to do significant damage to the UK?
                Without US P-B and SSN assistance can we be sure that a Russian sub couldn’t launch missiles in sink with drones launched from a Russian “oil tanker” to hit that nice line of P8 and E7 at an airbase without meaningful GBAD?
                Take away US assistance and that job gets harder. Things such as cyber hack resistance, covert cable chopping and a few “accidents ” could complicate matters

                  • I would bet that the Ukraine population as a whole are more resilient and willing to suffer compared to the UK populace, millions of the UK population have very little affinity or loyalty to the country.
                    Even in the case of Ukraine, hundreds of thousands fled as refugees, including many of those facing call up
                    Putin doesn’t have to win, he just has to take a chunk of the Baltics ( 2 of the 3 are 20% ethnic russian) and if the EU nations refuse to fight to retake them, it breaks the purpose of the EU
                    Russia supplied by China can keep that war going. It drives away investment from the continent , it cracks economies and it sews social division.
                    France and Germany both say Ru might have a go by 2029, Starmer tells us we are on a war footing. So it could be happening.
                    We have a weak , sick, benefit dependent section of populace. This isn’t 1939.

                    • The irony is that in 1939 the exact same sentiments where being said about the population that you are saying.

        • There are European defence structures, they’re just not very well reasourced, complicated and too many of their functions are subsumed by other entities. The big one is the the CSDP, Common Security and Defence Policy, which is the high level EU military command, and honestly if the EU ever gets it’s military act together it will probably grow out of this. At the moment it has several EU battlegroups that member states put at it’s disposal. It also has Operational experience, most notably EUFOR OP Althea (taking over in Bosnia from IFOR) and EUNAVFOR Op Atalanta and Aspides (Somalia anti-Piracy and Red Sea escorts respectively).

          There’s also EUCorps, which is a frame work for a European Ground Combat Corps. It’s kind of linked to the CSDP, but not really as it’s not a PESCO project and sits weirdly super-nationally but not fully EU. It also is able to volunteer itself to SHAPE if it so chooses. Notable uses includes providing the HQ to ISAF a couple of times.

          Similarly you also have the 1st German-Dutch Corps, which is more Bilateral than EUCoprs and leans more towards being embedded in NATO than the EU, but push coming to shove certainly would align itself under the CSDP if, for example, Russia invaded and NATO was sidelined by Trump. The 1 DE/NL Corps is a bit more punchy than the EUCorps since it’s Orbat is to all intents and purposes the 1st and 10th Panzer Divisions (effectively each consisting of 2 German and 1 Dutch Brigades).

          But yes, the EU needs to work on a more permanent ORBAT and build some credible 3* and 4* HQs that have reasources and Corps level Assets that national divisions can be assigned too. Even getting NATO formations like NRDCI and RRC-F to effectively “double hat” as NATO and EU formations like 1 DE/NL Corps does would be a good first step. (Also I note as I’m writing this that France has redesignated the “NATO Rapid Reaction Corps – France” to the “1er Corps d’Armée” in January. Which can only be designed to piss the Americans off and maybe a move in the exact direction I’m arguing for.)

    • The mid terms will be interesting. I had help thinking the nutters will still come out on mass and see republicans win more seats than is expected. Equally trump ignores Congress and so isn’t it actually going to matter.

        • Why? His been doing so upto now. Decisions have been made by the white house without first refering to Congress.

          • The only power Congress really has is over the budget, and that is a difficulty topic as if the democrats are too difficult they will never get voted in again, they have to play it carefully and focus on purely on popular parts of the bill and hope the media reports it.

            • At $1 billion a day cost the Trump administration can’t fight a war for very long with no funding from Congress and a war powers bill requires 60 votes in the senate to pass.

              Are you going to find 10 democrats to vote for his war? That’s what it will take.

          • That’s only because his lapdog speaker in the House doesn’t allow the votes to stop it, once he is gone Congress will be supported even by a right leaning Supreme Court in its demands and yes it will take time but Trump will be sorely limited in his executive orders and the armed forces will be very reluctant to be sent to war if the House overtly votes against it. Indeed it would be against the Constitution. Equally we will likely see some Republicans show some backbone when his power over them
            Is greatly reduced. They are still too scared as things stand and worried that he will effectively take personal tyrannical power, the mid terms, if allowed will greatly reduce any such opportunity and the worms will turn if they hope for future success. But thankfully even the lead right wing Supreme Court judge has started to warn Trump about how behaviour and decking support even in MAGA is going to make a grasp for total
            Power the biggest risk of his life and little chance of success… at least I hope.

            • Trouble is that The Tangerine King believes that he is The Saviour of America so whatever he does is by definition a Good and anyone who stands in his way…..

              It provides a very clear demonstration as to why separations of powers are needed to protected democratic process when The King has applied so much Tangerine Tint that it has rotted his brain….

            • His speaker won’t change, and he will attempt to delay / block everything like he did with the Epstein files. All will happen is everything will hit stalemate whilst he continues to destroy democracy in the US and all alliances worldwide in favour of it seems Russia and China.

  8. I know it’s a diplomatic nightmare, but would the lib Dems or another marginal party tell him to f off on behalf of the country, pretty please.

    • Well the Lib Dem’s are though easier when. It in power I guess. Getting interviews in the US even now amongst the more sane media outlets anyway.

  9. Best course for us is the one we are following now. Ignore the late night Truth Social ranting and deploy assets to the Strait only if it is in the British national interest. No point in engaging with the slanging match or jumping to any kneejerk reactions. Unfortunately we don’t have many cards to play as we’ve given so much away since the end of Empire. Best to weather the storm with like minded allies and at least come out of this with the moral high ground.

    • I tend to agree, the World and most of America is seeing he is just a fuming weak man with big hand me down toys throwing them out of every basket he can find and this decision is only strengthened by watching MAFS Australia. 😝

  10. Ironically, if they pull out they harm themselves as much as us.
    I’ve highlighted the intell side many times, we are so joined at the hip in so many areas I can list.
    Lets see actions in place louder than words, we await you leaving all the USVF locations in the UK.
    I bet that they don’t, as saner heads in the DoD and USIC will be pulling their hair out.

    • I agree, it’s amazing how one sided the intelligence debate is sighted as. Like America purely out of generosity shares intelligence with the UK and the £4 billion a year we spend on intelligence buys nothing.

      As we have seen from the Snowden leaks GCHQ offers invaluable intelligence and capabilities to the NSA and other US agencies.

      Intelligence is probably the one area where we do make a major irreplaceable contribution to the “special” relationship.

      • … and what Trump likes to call the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax which, as Senator Whiteside so succinctly laid out a few weeks back in Congress was anything but a hoax… indeed a lot wider into Epstein and others than formally let on.

    • I find that the most annoying part about the MAGA-blinded lot. They don’t seem to have noticed that a large part of the reason the US was global hegemon for 50 years or so was that by and large they represented the rest of us Western nations internationally because we mostly agreed on us. Their ability to influence Russia is tied to their bases in Europe, their ability to control the ME is tied to their bases in the Gulf states, their ability to oppose China is tied to their bases in Japan and South Korea. If they annoy their allies enough they will say ‘fine, have it your way’ and then a big chunk of their global hard power is gone.
      Certainly, if they want to be America Alone then go ahead, they’ve got the resources to do it. But nobody will listen to them for long.

      • America’s great advantage is it’s an Ocean away from any potential adversaries and so anyone who wants to attack America has to sail across that ocean to reach it.
        America’s great disadvantage is it’s an ocean away from any potential targets and so if it has no friends giving it basing rights it has to sail across that ocean to reach them.

      • I’ve read of areas withholding data. Where and whom, I’m unsure.
        How do you withhold when some places US UK operate in the same ops room with access to shared infrastructure and ISTAR assets?

        • As you say, where and how. Not all areas have embedded staff, there are layers where this isn’t the case, and so the supply slowly gets turned off.
          Personally I think its v petty and they are shooting themselves in the foot, as what goes around normally comes around at some point.
          On a more strategic level, whilst we will always have shared concerns and co-operation is vital, we should slowly look to build up our own resilience in the intel world, irrespective of who the next incumbent of the White House is.
          Just my thoughts mate.

  12. I was ‘politely’ scorned about 6 months ago on this forum when I suggested the US wasn’t reliable and that our 100 FGR4s were a fraction of what they need to be for our current and future requirements.

    • Yes, we need more Typhoons. That’s my opinon too, but there’s a debate about it because the official line is the RAF don’t want more and want us to buy F-35As instead.

      It’s hard in Defence to argue that the people whose job it is to know this stuff don’t seem to know this stuff. It’s why every purchase has to be requirements-driven so the experts are allowed their way. Except we still end up with gold plating and too few of anything. Then the government jumps in, wanting UK-built shiny things for their publicity pictures and local jobs. Now that Turkey will be putting in a Typhoon order assembled in the UK, there’s no pressing jobs argument to be had, only the one that says the RAF are wrong and they need Typhoons above F-35As. Which is where I stand. That’s a tough sell.

      • I suspect the military were somewhat derisory about the Martlet too, preferring rather higher performing missiles for most platforms but wow how that debate has been turned on its head by recent events.

  13. My user name is accurate for me in every area bar one. I am a consultant psychologist specialising in assessing parents involved in child protection proceedings and interparental conflict. So I know a thing or two about assessing psychologically complex individuals. I am ethically barred from offering clinical opinions on people in the public eye who I have not personally assessed (though increasing numbers of my American colleagues are now breaching this rule in his case)

    That said, it is fair to say that I have a professional opinion about the man in the White House and it is not positive or optimistic about the immediate future for any of us I’m afraid.

  15. Recent polling in the US shows that Trump’s actions with Iran is only garnering around 14% support with Americans. Any US ally would be a fool to engage in this war with this president. Facilitating Trump will damage our long term relationship with the US.

    • Spot on that some people do fail to consider. There’s going to be a big reckoning not too far ahead and those close to him will suffer nationally and internationally. The big worry is what then happens a further 5 plus years down the line when like before, we have convince ourselves some semblance of sanity has returned. MAGA may break apart but I fear the next clown show may be only round the corner esp as Americans increasingly can’t accept a bigger bully confronting them and feeling powerless which brought MAGA to us in the first place and that need to blame everyone but themselves.

    • Well that and I think any European Government that went into war facilitating this US War would find itself unemployed pretty quickly.

  16. Speaking as an average American living in the Midwest, I suggest that the best course is to ignore Trump’s late night ramblings. The U.S. is bound by treaty to defend members of NATO. Trump doesn’t get that. He hopefully will go away in two years. I wish the U. S. governing system were more functional, but regardless, the pendulum will swing and this sad chapter in U.S. politics will end then.

  17. Trump is projecting to mask his own failures, or looking for excuses to develope an ulterior agenda.

    But if taking what he says at face value. Even if Europen NATO was to put a force together to take the Straite or for an escort mission, it would take a while to get that force together and be deployed. Iran is still very active and the Straite very narrow, it would be difficult environment with potentially high losses, which is probably why he is projecting the task onto European allies.

    • Aah you got it, we are to be his cannon fodder to prove our value to him. We lose either way so best to be as self sufficient as possible as quickly as possible.

  18. The reality is US hegemonic power was previously on a knife edge with essentially the only thing really holding China back being the fact the US had 30% of the worlds power and its western allies bringing another 25%…

    The US without Europe is essentially one eye and a hand tied behind its back.. it will be stripped of most of its high north access ( unless it wants to go to war with Canada and Europe.. in which case its putting bullets through both knees and elbows) it losses all easy access to the Middle East and Africa as well as the India ocean..

    Russia may well come for Europe.. but China will definitely go for the US and I know which one I would not want to go to war with… especially in a decade when it will out number the USN in almost every metric 2-1

    Quite frankly this man is a lunatic and has destroyed western hegemony.. I think we need to accept that and the UK needs to work hand in glove with the EU to make Europe a march fit geopolitical power pole.. or we are fucked.. because I don’t believe there is now a road back for the US and Europe within a generation…

    • Well said, Jonathan 💯👀
      Watching and listening to Trump over the past few years, regarding Ukraine and other issues.
      It was and still is very clear from his constant stream of messages and attitude that the US was rapidly turning against its allies
      Threatening to attack NATO countries, etc., Greenland, and the others, he rants on about
      Constantly wanting to punish countries with tariffs and bully them, etc
      And I agree we must pivot all our effort to Europe, and E-NATO with the US out, Ukraine in 💯
      Britain needs to wake up

      No fan of Starmer at all… but good on him for standing up to the US regarding Iran
      I’m no fan of the regime in Iran either, but jumping into a conflict and for the US to be slagging us off
      Enough is enough

    • I don’t think you can rely on the EU when it has countries such as Spain, Ireland and Hungary within it and whose nation states naturally work in their own individual interests particularly at the economic level – this was demonstrated with the near capitulation with the recent tariff negotiations. However, building a European defence identity is required whilst we should also reach out to our likeminded Commonwealth cousins and countries such as Japan and South Korea.
      At a practical level whilst we need to up our own defence spending the litmus test for me is the nuclear deterrent. Any (independent of the US) European alliance to be truly effective needs a nuclear deterrent capability supplied by the U.K. and France but enlarged with other European nations contributing to the cost.
      Without it then I am afraid we would still be beholden to the US.

    • I saw an interesting suggestion that a new financial/trading pole might coalesce around an EU and CPTPP trade area merge. If we include EFTA, it covers all NATO countries apart from US, Turkey and a couple of the Balkans. Of those only the US is not an EU candidate. It would also include Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, etc. South Korea has signalled an intention to apply.

      No US and no China. If it happened, it would cover about a third of global trade. It all seems very tentative for the moment, with joint declarations talking more about bilateral cooperation than coalition. Nevertheless, as a joining of the Middle Powers it has promise.

  19. The ranting of a criminal facist lunatic but never a truer word spoken. Let’s see what spin Starmer puts on that to pretend they are still friends and saviours so we don’t have to spend a brass farthing on defence. The Yanks have betrayed everyone since Korea so why would they stop at us?

  20. All the conflicts that Britain has fought in since the end of WW2, only 3 were of our making, the rest are because the USA dragged us in, at the cost of many many young lives and un told £ Billions.
    Korea, Gulf war one and two, Irag, Afganistain, they never backed us in Suez or the Falklands war, rased money for the IRA durring the troubles, They as good as left us in Afghan so we had fudge a withdraw, they left Vietnam who was an allie to fall, started a war in Iran with out telling us, insult our Afghan dead and insult our Armed Forces, and they meant to are allies.
    They wont give us codes the F35 to add european weapons, the will only sell weapons to Europe to help Ukraine no more gifting and the want the money back for what they gifted in a mining deal. They are letting Russia sell oil that funds its war in Ukraine and now want us to sort the Straints out because they will not risk ships trying to force it, and our cost of living has gone up because of them. With friends like that we do not need any more enemies.

    • They not only didn’t back us in Suez, they actively threatened to tank our economy if we went through with it and demanded we fall in line with their foreign policy.

  21. He’s a funny old trout, is Trump. There he is with his good buddy Erdogan of Türkiye, fellow NATO member, fellow Board of Peace member, one of the largest armies in Europe and living right next door to Iran. Not a peep.

  22. These comments are just designed to get a rise. That pillick Hegseth declared they had met their goal of regime change. Which was a giraffe.

  23. Why the hell does Trump expect supposed allies to intervene in a war on which they were not consulted? In Gulf war 1, a coalition of forces was built, carefully darent finish.and with proper and full consultation. After 9/11, most NATO allies responded to the only Article 5 request ever made.
    Now, his ill thought out ” special operation” has triggered attacks on friendly states and an Iranian response he daren’t deal with. He and Netanyahu have started something he daren’t finish, so he deflects blame onto countries whose help he claims he doesn’t need.
    He actually makes Biden look good.

    • Because Trump doesn’t care about reality, he cares about his own ego and playing up to his voting bases preconcieved notions.

      It doesn’t matter that NATO supported America after 9/11, it doesn’t matter that this is an offensive war, it doesn’t matter that he didn’t consult NATO. It matters that he can turn to Americans and go “big mean NATO is doing nothing but it’s okay we’re so powerful we’ll do everything without them and now have an excuse to not help NATO.” And they’ll lap it up.

  24. Anyone else trying to recall when over the last 70 years the US has been there to help the UK or Europe?

    Unless he mistakes Israel for Europe.

    • They haven’t. But they’re myopically focused on the peace dividend in the 90’s and 2000’s when there was no threat at all to Europe.

      • You mean apart from the millions of troops they have had stationed in Europe to protect them from the big bad Russkies? And when exactly did Europe call for help and the Americans said no? That there is actually a serious question, because if you are going to ask the question, there must be a time when it applies?

        • The US Army had 4 Divisions stationed in Europe during the Cold War. The West German Army alone had 12 Active Divisions stood up protecting them from the Russkies.

  26. The US is take take take. Then accuse the people you take from of not doing anything to help. His war but we’re getting the flack. Why on earth don’t the UK and Europe get together and simply make a seperate peace with Iran? Cut all help to the US and point out this is America’s war, not ours!

    • Because that would be totally against our short to medium term interests, would embolden Russia and China and does not reflect the overly dependent relationship we currently have with the US. We need to pull our finger out and start building up our own military capabilities with our allies in Europe plus our Commonwealth cousins alongside countries such as Japan and South Korea.
      In that time the US might return to some kind of normality but it might not and we cannot afford to take the risk.

      • Yes, we need to increase our military assets, especially ones made in the UK. I agree with Trump that we should be spending 5% of our GDP on military expenditure, at least until we have offset years of neglect. But America is a train crash in action – and it’s a lot better to get off the train now! Trump NEEDS people to stand up to him instead of pandering to his every wish. He is not reliable. He’s proved that time after time. As for Russia and China – supporting genocide, political assassinations and illegal invasions/attacks on other countries are not ways of fending off Russia and China, supporting Ukraine does.

  27. “Just go to the Gulf and take it”. There’s the real reason for this war. Don’t get me wrong, the Ayatollahs are everyone’s enemy, but Trump is about money and ego. Oh, and money and ego.

  28. Keep calm & carry on. Barring a miracle, Trump will lose the midterms & be a lame duck president for the rest of his term. Some sanity may return if the House & perhaps Senate go to the Dems. Or it may lead to gridlock or impeachment.

  29. Trump might be an ass, but there is no denying the fact he is exposing the pathetic state of our Armed Forces. I was reading Navy Lookout and they estimated that if we had to, could POSSIBLY deploy 1 destroyer, 1 frigate and 2 drones to the gulf. Even then, it would be at the expense of other commitments and would have to be after a ceasefire because the drones won’t have a mother ship ready for several months (at best), and won’t last 5 minutes in a hostile environment. The Americans are openly mocking us. Not laughing at us, but mocking us. We can sit on our sanctimonious high horse all we want, but the really, really sad part of this, is they aren’t wrong.

  30. He’s lashing out because he’s desperate.. nothing more nothing less.. the USN has been clear it cannot open the strait and it would need a massive international coalition.. every nation has said no..

    For all his we don’t need the oil or the strait Open he’s talking bollox and he knows it..

    The reality is the US is utterly dependent on crude oil imports.. in vast amounts. It imports about 6 million barrels a day and as the price goes up so the US economy begins to tank..

    Yes it exports 4 million barrels a day but that’s sweet crude it has not refining capacity to deal with.. it has to export it. Most US refineries are designed to manage sour heavy crude from the gulf states and other exporting nations… to build the capacity to refine the 4 million barrels would take years and even then it would still be shy 2+ million barrels a day..

    So the man can bluster all he wants.. the US is still fucked if the gulf states are closed for business. Because the US is the second biggest oil importer in the world just behind China….

  32. Trump was described by an ex teacher, as the “worst student they ever taught” – stupid and lazy.
    That guy with the book out at the mo, say last term they had to reduce all briefings to one page, preferably with pictures, because he refused to read.

    He is stupid, a bully, a malignant narcissist, and an egotist.

    Bullys only understand being stood up to. Nationlise all his UK assets

  33. It is sign of the times, when one ignores anything coming out of the us presidents (sic) mouth (or tiny hands on social media).
    .
    .
    He will suggest the us will leave NATO etc etc, not checking of course that he and his party need a 2/3rd majority to make any changes to america’s commitments (law enacted in 2023 for exactly this type of mis-management).
    .
    .
    Lowercase lack of respects intentional

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