LONDON – Having moved away from the European Union, Britain wants to bond more closely with the United States in a dangerous world, according to a long-awaited project for its post-Brexit foreign policy, released on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson presented the document – which emerged from a long review of security, defense, development and foreign policies – as an argument for how Britain will remain relevant globally. One way, he said, is to help the Biden government meet the challenges of Russia and China.
“In all our efforts, the United States will be our greatest ally and an exceptionally close partner in defense, intelligence and security,” said Johnson in Parliament. “We will defend our values and also our interests”.
The prime minister and his allies have long argued that Brexit would free Britain to act as an agile maritime power on the world stage – a concept they called “Global Britain”, in a language more suited to the marketing of the than diplomacy. This 100-page report was an effort to emphasize the concept.
But it was notable less for highlighting the opportunities that await Britain than for emphasizing the need to prepare for a world of threats and enemies. Cyber war, nuclear deterrence and pressure on China, Russia and other human rights violators – all will be inevitable elements of Britain’s future role, Johnson said.
Among its specific commitments: a $ 32 billion increase in military spending, which includes raising the limit on Britain’s nuclear arsenal from 180 warheads to 260, and a plan to ship its new aircraft carrier, the Queen Elizabeth, to Asia, where it will strengthen the United States Navy by sending a message of deterrence to China.
In the report, Britain characterized China as a “systemic competitor”, a language not unlike that used by American officials. Russia, he said, remains a threat, three years after poisoning several people with a deadly nervous agent in Salisbury, England, prompting a diplomatic reaction.
“It is structurally inevitable, given our other relationships, that we must turn to America,” said Simon Fraser, former head of Britain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “For Biden, this is a great opportunity.” Still, he added, the review was a “serious effort to think about risks and opportunities”.
Critics said that some of Johnson’s initiatives looked grand for a country that is now essentially a midsize power off the coast of Europe. The deployment of the aircraft carrier in Asia, for example, refers to Britain’s imperial past, as well as the government’s emphasis on rebuilding its presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Prime Minister took note of this criticism, insisting: “Global Britain is not a reflection of old obligations, much less a gesture of vainglory, but a necessity for the security and prosperity of the British people in the coming decades”.
His advisers pointed out that the Indo-Pacific strategy is an inclination, not a pivot, referring to the United States’ strategic shift towards Asia under President Barack Obama, which some analysts said was never up to its billing.
The government said Britain’s interest is not nostalgic, but is looking to the future. Mr. Johnson invited the leaders of Australia, India and South Korea to attend a summit meeting of the Group of 7 countries, which Britain is hosting in Cornwall in June.
Johnson plans to travel to India next month, his first trip abroad since the pandemic began. He also wants to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the trade pact abandoned by the United States after former President Donald J. Trump took office.
Trump’s transition to President Biden previously seemed fraught with risk for Britain. Unlike Trump, Biden opposed Brexit and showed little interest in pursuing a trade deal with Britain. Mr. Trump had negotiated a trade agreement with the United States as a reward for Brexit.
But Johnson worked hard to cultivate Biden, announcing policies on climate change and global health, as well as military spending, that fit the new president’s priorities.
In November, Britain will host the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland. This is expected to give Biden a stage to show America’s renewed commitment to the Paris climate deal. Britain’s military spending is a stimulus for NATO, at a time when Biden is also hoping to strengthen the alliance.
But there are still places where Britain and the United States could split up. The lack of emphasis on Britain’s relationship with the European Union will disappoint some in the Biden government, who are trying to revive international cooperation after the unilateral approach of the Trump years.
Britain’s decision to expand its nuclear arsenal could also cause tensions. In its last defense review in 2015, the government released the number of missiles and warheads it planned to transport in submarines. In this review, Britain said it would no longer provide figures for its operating inventory.
“The decision to reduce the level of transparency in the UK nuclear stock will not go well with US officials who want to signal an opening for further progress in nuclear disarmament,” said Malcolm Chalmers, deputy general director of the Royal United Services Institute, a think tank in London. “The UK’s decision on this would have been easier to sell to the Trump administration.”