Towards the end of the Second World War it was clear that the strategic balance, militarily, had changed. At Yalta in February 1945 Churchill sat with Stalin and Roosevelt as an equal. But it was a chimera. The War was ultimately won by the big two (significant and courageous though Britain and the Empire’s contribution was).
The “Cold War” reached a stalemate with the nuclear balance the ultimate deterrent. Britain lost a thousand troops , the United States over 30,000 in the Korean War – a symbolic representation of the changed power balance. Suez confirmed the reality that Britain alone, without America, was powerless on the big stage both militarily and diplomatically.
The Falklands was the last hurrah of Empire. The United States and other Allies stood aside as Britain defended one of its last pink bits of the map. Our friends looked on with bewildered admiration at Britain’s final flourish – but that was it. As an Australian described it to me that was “The last night of the Poms”. We could not and will not do anything like it again – even if the pragmatic Argentine President Milei changes his pragmatic posture and becomes aggressive.
Our military role in the future has to be only as a major player in NATO or in a European Defence Force which given America’s apparent move to military isolation may succeed it. We should spend what this role costs – not a penny more.
Paddy’s Blogs in a crazy world 