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This book explores Anglo-American military cooperation since the end of the Cold War. It shows that working so closely with the US military in both peacetime and conflict has generated both risks and benefits for Britain's armed forces and has led to numerous tensions between the two sides.
List of contents
- 1: Introduction
- 2: Institutionalism
- 3: A History of Anglo-American Military Relations 1945-1989
- 4: High Intensity Warfighting
- 5: Operations Other than All Out War
- 6: Insurgency and Low Intensity Conflict
- 7: The Nuclear Relationship
- 8: Conclusion
About the author
Wyn Rees is Professor of International Security in the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham. Prior to this he taught at the University of Leicester, the College of Europe in Bruges, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He researches, publishes, and teaches on the subjects of transatlantic security relations, British defence policy, and counter-terrorism.
Summary
The Anglo-American Military Relationship explores military cooperation since the end of the Cold War. Much of the literature on the Anglo-American 'Special Relationship' has focused on the personal linkages between American Presidents and British Prime Ministers. This book argues that much of what is special between the two countries has resided in their military cooperation. This has provided the ballast that has underpinned other aspects of the political and economic relationship and given it durability.
The book focuses on how the British armed services have worked alongside a superpower, in both peacetime and conflict. This military cooperation has been a challenging task, not least because it has occurred within a dynamic strategic context in which the nature of conflict has been evolving. British armed forces have engaged with their American allies in high intensity warfare, as well as in developing military doctrines to address insurgency, peace enforcement, and nation-building tasks. Working so closely with the US military has generated risks as well as benefits for Britain's armed forces. It has led them to engage in tasks that have weighed heavily upon their resources and has resulted in numerous tensions between the two sides.
Additional text
A timely book about a vital subject. Anglo-American defence cooperation is the UK's most important security relationship by far. Wyn Rees offers us a remarkable new understanding of its past, present, and future. Focusing on the armed forces, he brilliantly illuminates this policy space and shows how the military as an institution has a central role in shaping the broader special relationship. Highly readable, it covers everything from low intensity conflict to nuclear weapons and is full of fascinating and astutely examined examples. A must read for anyone interested in the UK's global strategy in an increasingly dangerous world.
