Parliament Urges Britain to Reduce Defense Dependence on the US

Big Ben, London/DOK Ryan Schwark via Wikimedia Commons

LONDON - A British parliamentary committee has urged the United Kingdom to develop its own defense capabilities because Europe can no longer rely on the protection of the United States in the event of a military conflict.

This was revealed in a report by the British Parliamentary Committee on National Security Strategy released on Friday, March 27.

"To prepare for the worst-case scenario, in which Europe can no longer rely on the support of the United States in the event of a crisis, the British government must work with its European partners to invest in its own internal capabilities to offset the potential withdrawal," the report said.

The committee suggested that the British government develop strategic partnerships with countries in other regions.

Britain must be ready to move away from its bilateral relationship with America and become less reliant on the country in terms of nuclear and conventional defence and intelligence operations.

The report also states that the British Government has no clear division of responsibility for national security.

"Throughout the investigation, we found a lack of clarity regarding which department would be responsible for national security aspects," the report said.

Furthermore, the report notes that lawmakers note that the cabinet's oversight mechanism may be "not strong enough" to ensure the implementation of a coherent national security strategy across the government.