The British Security Strategy in the Euro-Atlantic Region

Abstract

The paper proposes to inform readers about modern British security and foreign policy in the Euro-Atlantic region. The United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union and the growing isolationist sentiment in the United States have created uncertainty around the American vector of British foreign policy, due to the increasing unreliability of the United States as a geopolitical partner. At the same time, the escalation of the Russian–Ukrainian conflict has made a broader confrontation between the European members of NATO and the Russian Federation more likely. In these circumstances, the recently elected Labour government has prepared a new Strategic Defence Review aimed at adapting the United Kingdom’s security policy to the new geopolitical reality. The plan includes preparing the country for a potential long war by reforming the British Armed Forces, rebuilding the military-industrial complex, and incorporating lessons learned from the Armed Forces of Ukraine into British military doctrine. The difficult economic situation in the UK following Brexit remains the main barrier to the rapid rearmament of the British armed forces. Another layer of uncertainty is caused by the lack of a clear foreign policy vision from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which is currently the front-runner for the 2029 parliamentary elections. Overall, the British government is being pushed to deepen military cooperation with European countries and to refocus its attention and resources on the Euro-Atlantic region in order to ensure national security. These challenges require British society and political leadership to accept the need for difficult and potentially unpopular decisions in order to protect the country’s long-term welfare.