The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the United States does not pay traditional rent for access to British military facilities, but instead covers the full operational costs under a long-standing cost-sharing agreement.
In response to a written parliamentary question from James Cartlidge MP (Conservative – South Suffolk), Defence Minister Luke Pollard clarified that “in accordance with the 1973 Cost Sharing Arrangement (CSA), the US is responsible for bearing the cost for the operational running of the bases it occupies such as utilities, as well as any development in support of its forces at those locations.”
The question related specifically to US use of several key UK sites, including RAF Mildenhall, RAF Lakenheath, Ascension Island, Diego Garcia, and any other bases shared between the two nations.
Although no direct figures were provided on total costs incurred by the United States, Pollard reaffirmed that “there are some exceptions to that, where development is a requirement of UK legislation or Ministry of Defence policy and there is no equivalent United States legal or policy requirement.”
This arrangement effectively means the US pays to operate at British sites but does not contribute a rental fee for the land or infrastructure itself. The 1973 agreement has governed financial responsibilities for shared UK-US military installations for over 50 years, covering operational and infrastructural expenses.
The agreement
The 1973 Cost Sharing Arrangement (CSA) is a bilateral agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom that delineates the financial responsibilities associated with the presence of U.S. military forces stationed in the UK. Under this arrangement, the U.S. bears the costs of developments on its bases unless a particular development is mandated solely by UK legislation or Ministry of Defence policy without a corresponding U.S. requirement; in such cases, the UK assumes the financial responsibility.
This agreement builds upon the foundational 1951 NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and the UK’s Visiting Forces Act of 1952, which establish the legal framework for foreign military forces operating within the UK.
The CSA specifically addresses financial obligations, ensuring a clear understanding of cost allocations between the two nations. While the U.S. funds most base developments, the UK contributes by providing land and facilities, often rent-free, and waiving certain taxes and duties. This collaborative financial approach underscores the enduring defense partnership between the U.S. and the UK.
Surely under the JD vance Trump rules we can start charging the USA a ground rent for this base and others like Cyprus and Lakenheath. Seems like they pay us nothing for Diego Garcia and we have to pay for our forces to guard their bases.
We are looking at paying Mauritius $90 million a year for Diego Garcia. If we use this as a base case the UK could make a fortune charging the USA $90 million per base per year.
I’m starting to warm up to the MAGA way of thinking 🤔
😀
MAGA thinking is a one way street – asymmetrical interpretation etc.
If it benefits America it is a GOOD THING if the exact same thing benefits another country then it is a BAD THING.
I think you have pretty much hit a bullseye there. Out of interest and purely by coincidence I literally just heard General Hodges (you know the guy who was commanding General US Army Europe and still a very significant figure) stating what a disaster it would be for the US to lose its operating rights to British airbases and access to maritime maintenance facilities. Obviously the above rather nebulous statements tell us very little about the cost/benefit analysis, one can read into it what you like but I suspect that as usual in our Special Relationship the US gets a remarkably good deal in what it pays and what it gains from these sites. So perhaps a little respect is called for, which indeed General Hodges specifically pointed out as shockingly unforthcoming from the Trump Administration.
In addition in more general terms he stated that the US for all its might, could do little without the cooperation of its numerous allies worldwide the madness of damaging of which has just been highlighted by the most recent Trump led insults to Japan by stating that it receives everything and gives nothing back to the US in defence or economically which surprise, surprise has incensed the Japanese Govt. Why? Because Japan is the biggest investor in the US and directly employs 1 million US citizens while it is the third biggest spender on defence not to mention it’s the frontline defence for US interests in the Pacific without which Guam would be almost indefensible and not to far distant the likes of Hawaii and Alaska would be extremely vulnerable. It certainly shows the Art of the idiotic deal takes precedent over the remotest of sane tanking let alone any understanding of just how ridiculous the concept of ‘island USA’ truly is. The good news is that like Canada, Japan and South Korea and I suspect Australia too will be looking far more towards Europe and each other in the future.
It’s even worse than that.even if it benefits the US, if it benefits another nation a little more as well or even equally it’s a bad thing… essentially they believe there should be a winner and loser in every deal and the US should always be the winner.. there can be no growing the pie equally… but a lot of nations are taking on this view, infact I would say the UK is one of the few world powers that is not operating in this way.
Yes I agree, the UK is the centre of the multi lateral world and goes out of its way to follow rules while everyone especially the USA France China and Russia just follow rules when it suits them.
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In fact I’d go further MAGA thinking is just bullying.
Look at how that is playing with UKR.
Oh and add extortion too.
Putin can hardly believe his luck.
The odd thing is that the US military really believes that Russia was about to collapse badly quite soon.
So Trump has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
Careful. We give the US access to our territory for their bases. They give us access to Trident (although we do pay for that). But I’m ok with that deal.
I imagine you are better off with the current agreement than you would be if use was rented.
Yep! I agree with you, but the fact the USA could just pull it’s forces out, like President Trump as Ind he wishes to do, then all the cost would be the UK’S responsibility, what do we do then? Seeing the rest of NATO members are begging him not to pull out! It’s nothing to do about the money, but the security of the UK, do you honestly believe that any other members of NATO would be willing step into paying for them bases, I would very much doubt it, they cannot even pay their agreed membership fees! The old saying “they need me more than I need then” comes to mind!!!!!
Tell this to the shires that rely on the rental money each service member provides to the economy.
We are just pathetic freeloaders according to JDVance, so we need to remove Americans from our soil. After all, we wouldn’t want to take any more help from them if it’s costing them money to be here.
Government doesn’t have the balls to stand up to Donald Duck
It would be good if they paid for Diego Garcia too if this stupid agreement goes ahead.
Paying billions for something we already possess but then not using it ourselves, so the US can, who have not been great allies of late, seems to me totally illogical.
What are we getting behind the scenes? A pat on the back?
With this article, it’s all sensible. These bases are very well equipped infrastructure wise, they have the funds.
The Diego Garcia situation is unbelievable really. It seems we will be paying for the honour of letting the US have their base there, let’s be honest if Trump is saying he is minded to accept it we can guess who is getting good and bad deals out of it and it’s certainly NOT Mauritius who’s claim is obscure to say the least (and mostly based on us originally intending to give it to them) and the US. If that base was being used clearly for our own interests it might be defendable and may have been a consideration during dis uss ions, but now it is probably more likely that operations from that base could cost us dearly in more than money.
But again you are mis the point, you say there’s very good infrastructure and well equipped, but this was paid for by the USA! Read the article it’s spelt out for you, as to what the USA are responsible for, infrastructure and running cost but not rent!!!!! Seeing we have the use of the infrastructures, as all NATO members will be able too as well. I believe the USA are getting a very bad deal, why do you think the rest of NATO members agreed in the first place, because they didn’t want to pay for it, when they knew the USA would. But they have a big problem now President Trump is back in the Oval Office, if they even think of trying to get the USA to pay more, he will just say goodbye to NATO, then what are they going to do? They are already worried about him pulling out of NATO, all because he’s asked them to pay their dues, but if you think for one minute, if they asked the USA to pay even more money, he wouldn’t leave NATO with one stroke of his marker pen! 🥴 Opss!!!!!
Here before the scammers
I have different thoughts depending on each facility to be honest and a lot of this depends on our future strategic relationship with the US and future mutual interests and is now in flux as we all know.
One thing I do think is very important to note is that I think both the US and EU are heading for a very big divorce and are likely to become geopolitical competitors, therefore how the UK levers it’s considerable strategic assets as a world power and how it aligns will be fundamentally important to the UK, the U.S. and the EU. The problem the UK faces at present is both the EU and US seem to have conveniently forgotten this and that the UK is the only independent world power in NATO and that it can go whichever way it so wishes if NATO falters and take its strategic toys with it….2 70,000 carriers, 7 SSNs, 4 SSBNs, the only strategically import air base mid Atlantic, the only non South American strategically important air base in the south Atlantic, ownership of all the potentially strategically important bits of the Antarctic, ownership of the only western strategically important air base mid Indian Ocean, ownership of a strategically important air base in the eastern Mediterranean, ownership of Gibraltar..which can and would cut sea lanes from the med to the Atlantic.
anyhow back to the present
Ascension Island: strategically important to both the UK and US.. at present costs on redevelopment of the runway and maintenance costs are shared, which is not a bad deal for the British tax payer and a very very good deal for the US as it supports this in Lieu of rent and having to pay for the whole upkeep itself. What I think is not so good for the UK taxpayer is that both the build contract and maintenance contracts went to US companies..which I think is a cheek as that’s 500 million of joint U.S. UK funding that went to the US economy… it should be a 50/50 workshare on maintaining the airfield.
Long term geostrategically I think Ascension is part of the most important triad of UK overseas assets and if the U.S. loss access because they loss the UK as partners they are idiots. When ( not if) the gun starts on Antarctic exploitation the UK ownership of the Antarctic peninsula and its access airfields at mount pleasant, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha mean the UK is the ONLY northern hemisphere power that can essentially exert independence control over the Antarctic. Whichever Northern Hemisphere power block has the UK as a partner will win any Antarctic power grab ( as long as we control ascension, Tristan da Cunha and the Falklands).
Diego Garcia This island has massive strategic importance to the U.S. that essentially occupies it for free other than operating costs..on the other hand this island is costing the UK a huge amount in both money ( if anyone thinks all the international arbitration has not cost the UK many 10s millions your mad) as well as burning vast amounts of geopolitical capital..all on behalf of the U.S. in reality this island is only Geostrategically important if you can lever it with long range strike aircraft and a large navel presence.. not something the UK can do… unless the US steps up and offers something big for the use of Diego Garcia we are better off getting shot of it and letting the US sort it out. Personally I think we should sell the islands to the US for a huge lump of cash or a very significant concession of some description.. everyone wants that Island apart from the Uk and as the international order is folding we should simplify lever that for the maximum benefit we can and tell the UN to jog on just like almost every other major power is now doing.
UK bases.. personally I think as long as the US are maintaining them, but we control sovereignty ( can remove the US as the landlord) I don’t think we need to charge rent as at present it suits both the UK and US Geostrategically and also gives a good stimulus into local economies..which is as good as paying rent.
Cyprus .. the US presence is low level, as long as they maintain them that’s fine.. but it needs to made clear to them the US. these are on the relationship balance sheet and need to be included in balanced negotiations on our relationship and trade.
Essentially both the US and EU need to have it explained to them that although in public we will say NATO NATO NATO we all know it’s all now transactional and what we give to the EU and US Geostrategically can no longer be removed from such things as good positive trade deals … because piss us off and we will take our strategic assets else where, because in the end we could just go neutral with whole world, as no one can invade us or in reality provide an existential threat to our existence..( without getting nuclear weapons back in the face) and we have what are essentially many many 10s of billions even possible 100+ of billions in global geostrategic assets ( what is a full functional military airfield and port in the mid Indian Ocean or Atlantic really worth ?)
Don’t say all that too loudly or in Trumps mind we might start looking like, Canada, Greenland, Panama and Gaza as a useful assets to become a ‘State’ or merely annexed for Blackrock to take control of.
As I’ve suggested before, I’d vote for you.
Sadly, we have a human rights lawyer in charge, who I think is guided by morals, not geostrategic interests.
I don’t think anyone in Labour, or the Tories, is that focused on Britain being the primary benefactor, they’re too busy trying to please both the EU and the US by walking the middle line.
Who is he. Writes very long🥱
It’s called considering the actual discussion , Zuze most of the interesting things in life are quite complicated are not black and white and need a fair bit of though and discussion..one of the problems the West faces is that it has a population being trained not to read beyond the second line of text.
I don’t think Starmer has exhibited any morals whatsoever in any role he has occupied.
He demonstrably doesn’t understand anything about science,engineering or trade.
He is making strategic mistakes in energy policy, critical industries (steel), immigration, and defence.
Not sure that TDC has that much to offer though, it lacks military facilities but it is strategically located. Same as Diego Garcia but that has a huge Airfield and useful port.
Hi Rear to be honest I meant st Helena ( the UK has so many random south Atlantic islands) what it offers a second useful airbridge to mount pleasant, as I understand it you can operate A400s from St Helena.
I agree, it’s often lost on the debate of the UK not being a world power and blah blah blah. Imagine if the UK switched sides. Imagine just how powerful China would be on the world stage if suddenly it and not NATO had access to bases in Diego Garcia, The Caribbean, Mediterranean etc.
Unlike the USA’s world wide “bases” that almost all rely on host nation support and permission the UK has a world wide chain of sovereign territories strategically located in the centre of two of the worlds main oceans and at almost every strategic choke point on the planet.
It’s can run any operation it likes from these bases with zero permission from anyone. It could completely halt world wide shipping over night.
That alone makes the UK one of the most important countries in the world.
Yes the UK is actually the only nation on earth that actually exists in the North Atlantic, Mediterranean, south Atlantic, Indian Ocean, pacific and southern ocean.. it is essentially the quintessential definition of a world power.. we often forget that because the British always equal world power with supper power and forget they are not the same.. mainly because we were a superpower within living memory.
Hmmm…discerning a pattern… Greenland has resources and geostrategic position, therefore, it must become the 51st state…Canada, similarly, must become the 52nd state. Prediction: Probably only a matter of time before POTUS recognizes the value of the UK and associated possessions/territories…53rd state, anyone? Moral of this real-time fable? 🤔 Perhaps that dangers abound in being perceived as an attractive acquisition of a real estate developer?
As eloquently stated by the Borg Collective (Star Trek, Next Generation): “Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.” 🤔😳🙄😱
If you look at the time stamps on his comments he is ether in china or likes getting up really early in America and commenting on a small UK defence website 🤔
No idea why this comment posted twice sorry meant for Daniel Morgan below
The Donald already asked to join the commonwealth, the Anglosphere is being born only question is where the capital will be. My bets on Edinburgh as it has a palace and it’s close to two Trump Golf courses 😀.
Yes. The US must protect all those English speaking people in England who are being abused./s
Trump really hasn’t thought any of this through at all.
If Canada became the 51st state then that’s the end for the Republican Party; Canada has 33 million people and 95% of them would vote Democrat. The Republicans would be utterly and permanently finished.
There was talk many years age that our PM at the time Harold Wilson, was approached with a proposition that how would the British people feel about becoming a star on the American flag. It was declined as politicians had set their sights on a united Europe. But I do remember an American Air force Snr Officer being interviewed on the BBC saying, Britain was the best Aircraft Carrier the USA had ever had.
There is no airfield on Tristan Decline do you mean St Helena?
Auto correct made a mess of my spelling of Tristan Dr Cunna which is likely wrong any way.
Yes I did Martin 👍
Brilliant comment. Contributions like this is what keeps me coming here
Thank you
I can’t for the life of me, understand the logic in handing DGC over and having to pay as well ? It just makes zero sense.
Delusional nonsense. The UK is not a global power and hasn’t been for decades. To be a global power a nation has to be able to project power beyond its borders. The UK is unable to field a modern combined arms force of 10,000 on the continent of Europe. It has no significant naval power, no space force, no launch capability, a virtually non-existent manufacturing base, and is economically burdened by a massive number of unskilled illegal immigrants destroying its over generous welfare system, onerous debt, and a white elephant health system. Try living in the real world.
I thought you were going to fuck off and stop pretending to be American you’re completely uncredible . You don’t even get the basics right like using American spelling. Fuck off back to what ever troll farm you came from.
Careful mate….i was lambasted yesterday by someone with issues for swearing months ago, on one occasion.
Quite what they’ll think now you’ve used the F word twice in a paragraph is anyone’s guess. 🙄
By the way, I agree.
👍Exactly!
Yes it is look up the definition of world power.. it’s not the same definition as superpower.. you can be as ignorant as you like but it’s your nation that is using strategically important bases that we own and you need. If we removed permission for you to use DG or Ascension Island what would the US go, go to war with the UK.. because I assure you yes you would win but you would doom the US in the process, because A) the UK would hurt the US B) you would throw an nation that can Build fifth generation fighters, SSNs and nuclear weapons straight into the arms of a nation that could and will take the U.S. down in a war if it has the opportunity, C) because if the U.S. did go to war with the UK over its islands, the rest of the western world would walk away from the U.S..making it essentially blood in the water for china.
Luckily for us in the west, you’re just a Chinese political warfare officer and none of what I have said above will happen… bit if on the small chance your not..and you are a MAGA American, look at yourself in the mirror and realise that your a volunteer politician warfare officer for the CCP.
If you look at the time stamps on his comments he is ether in china or likes getting up really early in America and commenting on a small UK defence website 🤔
Dumb trailer park ignoramus.
Shut up you MAGA moron.
We benefit from US presence in that we’d have even more bases closed down if the Yanks weren’t using them, so I can see some logic in the war against the Treasury.
The airbase at Ascension Island was the most important overseas base for the Falkland Islands War. But it was mostly built by the Americans with American money, as they were the primary operators of the base during the Cold War. Diego Garcia is a similar situation. The Americans are the ones that built most of the infrastructure there as they were the ones that wanted a base in that geographical area. The British are the beneficiaries of American spending as they get to use those well developed bases whenever they want. This saves the UK the trouble of not having to financially support having various bases that would seldom get used.
Even for the bases used by the Americans in the UK give Britain some benefit. The Americans are generous spenders in the surrounding area. Some of the maintenance and base expansion, paid for by America, is done by British people. The British have access to bases that might have closed down otherwise. By keeping Americans permanently stationed in Europe, they will stay involved in European defense. If there is ever a day when all American forces leave Europe, that will likely be when they are seriously considering leaving NATO (and not just empty rhetoric). I suspect that such a thing would be far more serious than when France left NATO in the 1960’s though the end of the Cold War, as France still had some incentive to defend Europe beyond its own borders.
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