Post-Brexit UK should be ready to use 'hard power': Defense minister
The United Kingdom should be able to use military force to defend its global interests after leaving the European Union, Defense Minister Gavin Williamson will say on Monday.
“Brexit has brought us to a great moment in our history. A moment when we must strengthen our global presence, enhance our lethality, and increase our mass,” Williamson will say in a speech in London.
He will also say that boundaries between peace and war are getting “blurred,” and that Britain and its allies should be prepared “to use hard power to support our interests.”
The UK is currently experiencing its most severe political crisis since World War Two as the country would have to leave the EU without any deal.
Meanwhile, Brexit has been viewed as a blow to the West already having difficulty in assimilating Russian and Chinese power as well as Donald Trump’s unpredictable US presidency. Yet, Brexit supporters see it as a chance for Britain to take on a new global role.
In his speech, Williamson will also talk about forming new alliances.
“We can build new alliances, rekindle old ones and most importantly make it clear that we are the country that will act when required. And, a nation that people can turn to when the world needs leadership,” Williamson will say.
He will talk about the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier and announce its first mission which will include work in the Mediterranean, Middle East and Pacific regions.
The vessel would carry two squadrons of British and US F-35 jets as well, he will say.
Williamson will also underscore close military links between the US and the UK and echo Trump’s call for NATO countries to raise their spending in order to better handle what Williamson previously described as Russian provocation.
The relations between Russia and the West are tense over the rejoining of Crimea to Russia, allegations of Moscow’s interference in the 2016 US presidential election as well as its involvement in a nerve agent attack in the UK.
“Such action from Russia must come at a cost,” Williamson will say in the speech, extracts of which Reuters has seen.
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