Defence Procurement Minister Stuart Andrew met with the US Navy Under Secretary Thomas Modly and US Army Under Secretary Ryan McCarthy on 6 November to discuss how the two Armed Forces can collaborate further in the future.

US visit

While visiting Washington Mr Andrew addressed the Heritage Foundation think-tank.  During his presentation he highlighted the growing threats that both nations face and emphasised the need for the UK and US to collaborate and plan for the long term.

The Defence Procurement Minister said:

“Over the years, the deep UK-US alliance has endured through two World conflicts, the chill of the Cold War, and the continuing struggle against extremist terror. Today, our forces work highly effectively together across the globe – on land and sea, in the air, space, and cyberspace. We are stronger together.”

NATO defence spend

Back in August, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson reaffirmed the importance of UK-US defence relations during an official engagement In Washington.

“Our two countries have developed the deepest, broadest and most advanced Defence relationship of any two nations. The United States has never had nor will have a more reliable ally than the United Kingdom. Others may pretend, but you will find no greater ally than us.”

Both the US and the UK play leading roles in NATO and have been calling for other nations to invest more in defence and security.

By 2019, eight NATO members will meet the commitment of spending 2% of their GDP on defence compared with just three in 2014. The UK defence budget currently sits at 2% of GDP at £40 billion.

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