Speaking today on a visit to Washington DC, British Army Chief Sir David Richards warned that the British government needed to come to a decision on how important it is to maintain the “special relationship” with the United States.
Sir David warned that while keeping ties with the US was a “no-brainer” in and of itself, the massive cost of maintaining that relationship in terms of military spending might not be worth it.
Britain has been struggling to get its military expenditures under control, much like the rest of Europe. US officials have been touring NATO member nations across the continent pressing them to dramatically increase military spending in this recessionary environment, however, insisting it is vital to keeping the alliance strong.
British officials have long prized their “special relationship,” but with budgetary worries front and center in British politics they will have a hard time justifying spending tens of billions of dollars annually just to keep the US happy.
