United Kingdom

Panetta: NATO Needs to Join U.S. Rebalance to Asia-Pacific

By Marcus Wiesgerber, DefenseNews

From Marcus Wiesgerber, DefenseNews:  U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called on NATO to become a more flexible fighting force that can tackle a broad range of conflicts and urged European allies to join the Pentagon’s shift to the Asia-Pacific region.

Obama Bullying Could Backfire

By Julian Lindley-French

A week ago, US Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon warned of the dangers of a British referendum on its EU membership, none so subtly hinting that the Special Relationship would be diminished if Britain left the EU. 

Canada sending C-17 transport plane to help French mission in Mali

By CBC News

From CBC News:  Canada will provide one RCAF C-17 transport aircraft in a non-combat role to support the operations of its allies in Mali for a week, the Harper government announced Monday morning in a press release.

Britain set to order Brimstone missiles, stocks still low after Libya op

By Andrew Chuter, Defense News

From Andrew Chuter, Defense News:  Britain’s Ministry of Defence is set to order a new batch of Brimstone precision-guided missiles from maker MBDA as the Royal Air Force continues to rebuild weapon stocks in the wake of the Libyan conflict.

Security issues will test transatlantic co-operation in 2013

By Bruce Stokes, European Voice

From Bruce Stokes, European Voice:  Both Pew and GMF surveys show that Americans and Europeans continue to back NATO, but they want out of Afghanistan, currently a joint US-European military operation. How that disengagement is managed may shape future public support for NATO.

Britain faces intense debate over its nuclear weapons

By James Blitz, Financial Times

From James Blitz, Financial Times:  [A]s London struggles to regain control of its finances, debate is stirring about the affordability of the independent nuclear deterrent.

Parliament: Cyber attack could fatally compromise British military

By U.K. House of Commons

Majority of British polled support pre-emptive cyber attacks

By Tom Whitehead, Telegraph

From Tom Whitehead, Telegraph:  The majority of the public believe pre-emptive strikes are justified if enemy states or hi-tech criminals pose a threat to national security. Earlier this year, a committee of MPs and peers said Britain should declare cyber war on those who target the country through aggressive retaliatory strikes to destroy their operations. […]

US Ambassador to NATO urges European allies to spend Afghan withdrawal savings on defense

By Nick Hopkins, Guardian

From Nick Hopkins, Guardian:  The UK and other European countries must use the money saved by withdrawing from Afghanistan to re-equip their military and help reverse worrying cuts in defence spending, the American ambassador to Nato will warn on Tuesday.

Nearly half of British forces to leave Afghanistan in 2013

By Peter Griffiths and Matt Falloon, Reuters