Overseas training exercises for British military units will be scaled back starting next year as U.K. armed forces shift their focus to NATO operations in Europe, the British Forces Broadcasting Service announced this week.
Armed Forces Minister Al Carns told Parliament that while the British military is “committed” to its overseas responsibilities, it must balance that with “both our own and partners’ operational needs,” the BFBS said Tuesday.
For example, British army paratroopers last year took part in the Vigilant Isles 25 exercises in Japan with troops from the 1st Airborne Brigade of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force.
U.K. officials said the Royal Navy will scale back its participation in overseas training events outside Europe, the Atlantic and Arctic regions over the next few years. Mr. Carns told British lawmakers the shift reflects its “evolving global posture,” aimed at supporting modernization efforts and prioritizing the European theater as part of NATO and homeland defense, the BFBS said.
The British military’s decision to scale back overseas training and focus on Europe comes amid the release of the Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy that signals a significant shift. It envisions a reduced, more conditional role for the U.S. in European defense while encouraging NATO members to assume greater responsibility for their own security needs.
