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UK and US pledge to strengthen security cooperation

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President Joe Biden have agreed a number of steps to enhance the ‘world’s strongest’ bilateral defence and security partnership.

Speaking at the G& Summit in Cornwall, it has been announced that the UK and US will enhance their work to shape and secure the international order of the future, with NATO as the bedrock of the nations’ collective defence.

Equally, the two nations will work together to further strengthen and modernise NATO, and increase its common funding, so that the Alliance can harness the full range of military and non-military capabilities to tackle existing and emerging threats, including malicious cyber activity and attacks that test the resilience of our societies.

The US and UK will continue to modernise and integrate our armed forces, and strengthen bilateral cooperation on next generation capabilities.

Importantly, the Prime Minister and President agreed to tackle all forms of terrorism by working together to address terrorism online and enhance international collaboration on thwarting violent extremism and terrorism that is racially, ethnically or ideologically motivated, including a range of hateful white supremacist ideologies.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “It’s no secret that the US is our closest friend and most important defence partner. Combining the largest defence budget in the world and the largest defence budget in Europe, the US-UK alliance is a bulwark against those that aim to undermine the rules-based international order. The extra £24 billion of UK Defence spending over the next four years means we have the resources going forward to modernise our Armed Forces and further integrate with allies so we can tackle the threats of the future together.”

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