British Embassy Washington to spend $25,500,500.00 to expand into new space in Washington DC.
A grand corridor in the British embassy in Washington, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Photograph: Eric Sander
“The president-elect “craves” the pageantry at Buckingham Palace and a banquet with the King, Sir Ed said.
The Lib Dem leader’s speech was highly critical of Trump, who will be sworn in for his second term in the White House on Monday, describing him as “the first convicted criminal” to take the oath of office.
Sir Ed noted that Trump had praised President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as “genius”, said “trade wars are good”, and called himself “tariff man”.
The Writing of The Royal Janitor
by
John Presco
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Did Sir Ian Easton ever fly in a helicopter near Washington D.C. ? Surely he flew to Britain and back. Was Rena Easton on board? Did she ever put on a fine evening gown and attend a ball at the British Embassy. Did she freak out when she found my posts on her late husband, Sir Ian Easton, who was a Attaché? I considered this was her motive going to the Bozeman Police Department, and showing him our long letters – that she ripped into tiny pieces! She emptied these pieces out on the desk, from a brown paper bag. Then he showed him the duplicate letter she wrote…..FROM MEMORY!
“You read our letters?” I asked.
“Yes” Deputy Sheiff Dan Mayland replied.
“Did you find any threats in them?”
“No. But, you know how women are.”
“Did you believe she has a super memory? Maybe she made that up?”
Silence.
President Trump made a video of him singing Executor Order against DEI and WOKISM in the military. Ian and Rena inspired me to author a James Bond book after I discovered I am kin to Ian Fleming
BREAKING NEWS! I took a lunch break at 1:30 P.M. Trump is purging the FBI.
UK must rejoin EU customs union, says Lib Dem Davey
16 January 2025ShareSave
Chas Geiger
Politics reporter
The UK should negotiate a new customs union deal with the European Union, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said.
In a speech in London, he argued it was needed to boost Britain’s economy and its ability to deal with the incoming Donald Trump presidency from a position of strength.
The policy was a practical move to “turbocharge” the economy and a step towards the eventual Lib Dem goal of rejoining the EU, a party source told the BBC.
Sir Ed also warned that Trump could not be relied on to “play by the rules” or to stick to international agreements.
He called for Trump to be offered a state visit to the UK, but only if he delivered financial and military support for Ukraine.
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Badenoch criticises Tory handling of Brexit
PM goes to Brussels as he eyes closer UK-EU co-operation
Lib Dems aim to turn election success into influence
The president-elect “craves” the pageantry at Buckingham Palace and a banquet with the King, Sir Ed said.
The Lib Dem leader’s speech was highly critical of Trump, who will be sworn in for his second term in the White House on Monday, describing him as “the first convicted criminal” to take the oath of office.
Sir Ed noted that Trump had praised President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as “genius”, said “trade wars are good”, and called himself “tariff man”.
The new US administration would be “a threat to peace and prosperity” around the world, he warned.
But “The Donald” could not be ignored and had to be dealt with, he added.
Sir Ed accused Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch of wanting to go “cap in hand” to Trump and “beg for whatever trade deal he’ll give us”.
He described Reform UK leader Nigel Farage as “fawning over Trump and licking his boots”, and being “more interested in advancing Trump’s agenda over here than the UK’s interests over there”.
“If we seem as weak or as desperate as the Conservatives or Reform would have us appear, Trump will treat the UK the same way he has treated so many throughout his career”, he argued.
The UK’s relationships with its other trading partners, including its European neighbours, should be strengthened urgently to show Trump Britain “won’t be bullied”, he said.
The Conservative shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said that the Lib Dems were “looking to undo a democratic vote”.
She said: “Our divorce from the EU was finalised and politicians in this country should be focused on delivering for the British people.
“If they think overturning the democratic will of this country, and damaging the special relationship we have with one of our closest allies, is a good approach then it is clear they are even more unfit for government than we thought.”
Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice told the BBC the Lib Dem call for a new customs union deal showed “how clueless they are because President Trump is much more likely to impose tariffs on the European Union”.
He said Trump was “delighted” the UK had left the EU and questioned why Britain would want to get closer to “an ailing economic model”.
Countries in a customs union agree not to impose charges – known as tariffs – or custom checks on each other’s goods, but under EU rules they can not strike their own trade deals either.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has called for a reset in relations with Brussels, but has ruled out rejoining the customs union or the EU’s single market – which guarantees the free movement of goods, capital, services and people within it.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the Lib Dems “only ever think about Europe”.
“Of course it is a major market, but this is a government that wants to improve that relationship with the EU but also wants to do work with the US, with India, with the Gulf,” Reynolds told BBC Breakfast.
“I think the UK could be positioned as the best economy between those major trading blocs and I think what the Lib Dems are saying today is not taking into account that wider global position”.
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‘Not ideological’
Sir Ed’s speech was his first to focus on relations with Brussels since he became Liberal Democrat leader following the 2019 general election, when the party’s campaign to stop Brexit saw it slump to just 11 MPs.
At last year’s general election, the party gained a record 72 seats on the back of a campaign that barely mentioned the EU at all, even though rejoining the bloc remains the party’s long-term aim.
Sir Ed’s call to rejoin the EU customs union was not ideological, party sources said, but about putting the UK in the best possible position to deal with the new Trump administration and the EU.
Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on US imports after he returns to the White House next week, sparking anxiety in many countries that rely on exports.
Sir Ed attacked the government for rejecting a new customs union with the EU, saying it would be the best way to tear down trade barriers and “turbocharge our economy in the medium and long term”.
He urged ministers to negotiate a deal with the EU this year, with the aim of forming a fresh customs union by 2030, arguing this would allow the UK to deal with Trump “from a position of strength, not weakness”.
There are no tariffs or other barriers to trade between countries in the EU customs union – which the UK left in January 2021 when Brexit took effect.
But member countries impose common tariffs on all goods entering the union from outside.
Official figures released on Thursday indicate the UK economy grew in November for the first time in three months – after shrinking in September and October.
But the 0.1% increase in the size of the economy was smaller than most economists had predicted.
The figures follow recent turbulence in financial markets which has pushed government borrowing costs to their highest level in years.
This echoes the same discredited attitude that prevailed among the British elite in the thirties when the Soviet Union was seen to be the imminent threat to Europe when, in fact, it was Nazi Germany.
This is poignant today, with Donald Trump back in the White House and his declaration of war on the world: the threats of high tariffs to subdue other nations and force them to succumb to US interests, his claims to other countries’ lands (the Panama Canal and Greenland), his ethnic cleansing of Gaza plan and his demands for increased expenditure on “defence” by Nato members not to mention his second-hand man, Elon Musk, interference in the internal affairs of other countries, including the UK.
This is a new danger that must be considered seriously in evaluating the risks to our national security. Today, the threat comes not from the East, but from the West.
The return of President Trump must be the shockwave that shakes the Labour government out of its stupor over Europe. I’ve made no secret that the Liberal Democrats have deep concerns about Trump and the threat he poses to security and the economy – across the globe and here in the UK. In the face of the Trump threat, strengthening ties between the UK and Europe is no longer optional; it is essential. European capitals are looking aghast as Trump threatens and bullies Nato allies, while his sidekick Elon Musk uses his platform to boost the far right and meddle in our democracies. In the face of an unpredictable administration in the US, we must work closely with our neighbours to protect our shared security and prosperity.
The Liberal Democrats are proud to be the UK’s most pro-European party. We are proud internationalists, who believe that our country and our people thrive when we are open and outward-looking. We will continue to speak out now in the national interest, putting pressure on the government to be bolder and more ambitious. This is not about reopening the wounds of the past; it is about recognising the reality of today. In a world where Donald Trump is tearing apart the rules from trade to security, Britain must urgently fix our broken relationship with Europe.
Donald Trump is driving a wedge between Canada and the United States. Could we join the EU?
Some have called for Canada to join or at least form closer relations with the European Union amid tariff threats from the U.S. Is it even possible?
Updated 17 hrs ago
Jan. 30, 2025
4 min read
Canada is on the other end of the Atlantic — but that still might not stop it from becoming the 28th member state of the European Union, some experts believe.
As U.S. President Donald Trump‘s talk of tariffs and annexation continues to sour U.S.-Canada relations, some — including, reportedly, Germany’s former foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel — have floated the idea of Canada joining the EU.
Supporters of the idea have cited the EU’s need for minerals and other natural resources, of which Canada has plenty. The two also share similar views on governance, social issues and the climate crisis. “A rich new joiner would help the EU’s finances,” argued a well-circulated editorial from the Economist earlier this month.
Along with targeting Canada and Mexico, the Trump administration has floated the possibility of a blanket tariff on a range of countries in Asia, South America, Europe and other regions.
“I think we have to proceed on the assumption that some kinds of tariffs are going to be imposed on the United States’ major trading partners,” Brett House, professor of economics at Columbia Business School, told CBS MoneyWatch. “In the end, there is a lot that gets announced by the president on social media that does not come to pass. I don’t take it as bluffing, so much as a storm of possibilities, and it’s hard to tell which bit of that storm is going to be pursued most aggressively, and most immediately.”
A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),[1] sometimes known as a “military diplomat“,[2] is an official responsible for military matters within a diplomatic mission, typically an embassy.[3] They are usually high-ranking members of the armed forces who retain their commission while being accorded full diplomatic status and immunity.[4]
The Chilean defense attaché in Panama (left) receiving a briefing on the armament of the USS Freedom from the ship’s executive officer (2010)
Generally, a military attaché serves as a representative of their country’s defense establishment, with responsibility over all aspects of bilateral military and defense relations.[1] Their main roles include advising diplomatic officials on security matters and gathering intelligence on the host country’s armed forces; they may also be tasked with other security issues, such as migration or law enforcement matters.[1][2] The duties, qualifications, and management of a military attaché varies between governments. The Senior Defense Official/Defense Attaché (SDO/DATT) in Washington, D.C. is the senior military advisor to the ambassador and country team on military issues. The SDO/DATT is also the single point
Starfish Flight 505
Posted on March 11, 2022 by Royal Rosamond Press
Here’s the Palestinian version from the current Palestine Museum exhibit:
Russian plane leaves U.S. with expelled ‘spies’ – POLITICO
The Royal Janitor
by
John Presco
Copyright 2022
I composed this chapter in my head several days ago and posted on this process.
Chapter – Flight 505
Professor John von John did not want to be dragged into a international incident, but, Starfish made him an offer he could not refuse.
“Do you want to swim with my deep Russian fish? Pack an overnight bag! Pack and extra wig!”
“I don’t wear a wig!”
“Yeah -right!”
When the threesome landed in Washington they were driven to CIA headquarters at Langley where John was fitted with a European suit and a black patch over his left eye. John was happy when a straightjacket was strapped on Starfish, he upset with her that she had made him afraid, once again. When a doctor shot her full of methedrine……
“Don’t do that! She’s crazed enough!”
“Stand back Doctor. We know what we are doing!’
“He’s not a – real Doctor! He is a fraud!” spat Starfish, who was drooling saliva like a rabid dog. That’s when two huge agents grabbed Starfish, brusquely, and led her to the helicopter for Dullas airport. Everyone was getting in character. A guard was assigned to Victoria.
When the helicopter landed next to the Ilyushin Il-96, Starfish was the first on the tarmac. She was kicking and screaming. The Russian spies lined up to board, were, enthralled. When John von John emerged, shouting orders, they knew he was ‘The Evil One’ the super agent for M-16 they had heard so much about.
“That’s him! The guy with the eyepatch!”
A reporter for Russian television moved in for a close-up! The steel-blue madness in Starfish’s eyes- sent chills down your spine!”
“Long live mother Russia! ” Starfish shouted. And a chill overcame the leader of the Russian people.
On cue, John von John came up to Starfish – and slapped her hard across her face! Then, he hit her even harder! There was a gasp from the other spies when they saw a rivulet of blood flow from her mouth, and on to her loin cloth.
“Die – you Imperialist Dog! Die!” Starfish shouted – in Old Russian.
Starfish had full sympathy from her fellow spies. But, when she was lifted on the shoulder of the giant guards, and carried up the steps on their shoulder – like a cross – there was a collective gasp when her gold crucifix dangling from her neck, caught the setting sun!
“Martyr!” a Russian woman whispered. “Martyr!” the forty spies mumbled in concert. The fearless leader in Moscow, who was watching on T.V. said;
“Bring her to me when she arrives. Get her cleaned up. Put some clothes on her. Those bastards must have tortured her, kept her in a dungeon. All she’s wearing it a tattered…….pink loincloth.”
On the plane, the agents lined up to talk to Starfish ‘The Ros Martyr’. Victoria handled the overflow. She was wired knowing the agents couldn’t wait to talk about their TOP SECRET spy missions in the U.S.
Well, I was happy here at home
I got everything I need
Happy bein’ on my own
Just living the life I lead
Well, suddenly it dawned on me
That this was not my life
So I just phoned the airline girl
And said, “Get me on flight number 505
Get me on flight number 505″
Well, I confirmed my reservation
Then I hopped a cab
No idea of my destination
And feeling pretty bad
With my suitcase in my hand
In my head, my new life
So then I told the airline girl
“Well, get me on flight number 505
Get me on flight number 505″
Alright
Well, I sat right there in my seat
Well, feeling like a king
With the whole world right at my feet
“Of course I’ll have a drink”
Well, suddenly I saw
That we never ever would arrive
He put the plane down in the sea
The end of flight number 505
The end of flight number 505
Alright
Whew, they put the plane down in the sea
The end of flight number 505
The end of flight number 505
FREE ALINA TIMO
Russian plane leaves U.S. with expelled ‘spies’
With airspace closed to Russian aircraft, Moscow sent a diplomatic jet to Dulles to grab officials kicked out of the U.S.
A screenshot of the flight path of the plane that departed from St. Petersburg en route to Dulles Airport in Virginia. | Courtesy of FlightAware
03/05/2022 11:13 AM EST
Updated: 03/06/2022 08:04 PM EST
A mysterious Russian plane that captivated Twitter watchers as it flew across the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday morning to pick up 13 expelled Russian diplomats has departed back to Russia, according to flight tracking information.
The plane, an Ilyushin Il-96, left Moscow en route to St. Petersburg on Friday night and arrived at Dulles Airport outside Washington at 2:10 p.m. local time on Saturday. After a flight on Sunday afternoon to New York’s JFK airport, the plane left for Moscow at 7:32 p.m. on Sunday night, a flight of 4,700 miles. It is due to land in Russia at around 1:30 p.m. Moscow time on Monday.
The same plane appears to have been used to fly Russian officials from Moscow to Belarus for the first two rounds of peace negotiations with Ukraine.
President Joe Biden announced in his State of the Union on Tuesday that American airspace was closed to Russian planes, but the U.S. government is making an exception so the expelled Russians can go home.
Biden administration officials pointed to Russian Foreign Ministry comments in which their spokesperson said a plane was sent to pick up the “diplomats.”
“The U.S. government approved a flight chartered by the Russian government to facilitate the departure of Russian UN Mission personnel who were expelled for abuse of their privileges of residence,” said a State Department spokesperson in a statement to POLITICO. “This special exception was done in accordance with federal regulations to ensure Russian mission personnel and their families departed by the date we had instructed.”
On Feb. 28, the U.S. mission to the United Nations announced it was expelling the diplomats, which it accused of spying on the United States.
“We are beginning the process of expelling 12 intelligence operatives from the Russian Mission who have abused their privileges of residency in the United States by engaging in espionage activities that are adverse to our national security,” the mission said at the time in a statement, noting the move had been in development for “several months.”
Miriam’s Wardrobe
Posted on March 20, 2018 by Royal Rosamond Press
The Royal Janitor
Serena watched Miriam walk towards her for their meeting. As far as she could tell, all her bodyguard wore was some kind of loin clothe – with sandals! Her long auburn hair covered her breasts.
“Please! Be seated. And stop staring down at me as if you are going to put me in a big pot and cook me! You’ve been given a nickname, you know……..Tarzarena! Some whisper this after you pass; “There goes Lady Greystoke” Have you seen a Tarzan movie?”
“No. I’ve only seen two movies, Ben Hur, and, PI.”
“Only two? PI? What is that about?”
“It’s about a Kabbalist mathematical genius who finds another dimension. My parents put it on our video machine every Saturday after firing up the generator. We watched Ben Hur every Easter. I can recite PI backwards. Want to hear?”
“No. Not right now. I am still in a daze. I think I spotted another Leprechaun at the frozen yogurt shop. Are they really National Treasures?”
“Yes! You can go to jail for ten years if you molest one.”
“Are there female Leprechauns?”
“No.”
“Do you mind if I ask why you don’t wear a bra, or, a top of some kind? What is odd, you have never exposed a breast, or two. What is your secret?”
“You won’t freak out if I show you?”
“No! Lay it on me!”
Miriam leans forward in her chair, and tries to pull her hair away from her breast.
“Oh my God – What? What am I seeing! Holy fuck!”
“Isn’t that cool. My hair has a mind of its own and wraps around my breast to hold it firm. All women can do this if they grow their hair, and don’t wear a bra. My tits don’t sag a bit. Too bad you didn’t have the parents I had. We went back to Eden – almost. I own two dozen loincloths, because Jesus wore two styles. They are hung on hangers in my closet. I don’t have a panty and sock drawer. Which one do you like the best?”
“I’ve seen enough! No more. Don’t forget you have an appointment to see The Wizard tomorrow.”
Jon Presco
Copyright 2018
Capturing Beauty – The Sea Lord
Posted on March 16, 2018 by Royal Rosamond Press
With Great Britain leading a united force against Putin. I can come to the end of our amazing story, that Rena did not know about. She is the Muse of the Ages.
Caspar John is in my rosy family tree. He was a Sea Lord, and half-brother of Poppet Pol (John) There is no doubt that Rena’s late husband, Commander Sir Ian Easton, and John, knew each other. Tabitha Getty is Caspar’s second-niece. She was a Bohemian fashion model, and step-mother of John Paul, who was abducted. John is the subject of a movie and television series titled ‘Trust’. Why are these knighted men marrying beautiful American women? May I dare wonder?
Rena was the muse of my late, Christine Rosamond, and I. This is the love story of our time. The children born at the end of the World War were given a special mission. Rena and I were destined to meet – and part – so our spirits can rescue Britain from her enemies. Britannia rules the waves! Like Phoenix Birds…………..We will rise from the ashes?
“We now come to the History of Jon.
Jon, Jôn, Jhon, Jan, are all the same name, though the pronunciation varies, as the seamen like to shorten everything to be able to make it easier to call. Jon—that is, “Given”—was a sea-king, born at Alberga.”
King Henry the second claims he descends from Trojans. I have compared Rena to Helen of Troy – and the goddess, Britannia! I began a painting of her as Fair Rosamond, who captured Henry’s heart. This King of England placed her in a Labyrinth. I can not yet reveal what the movie ‘The Shape of Water’ revealed to me. It has much to do with Pharamond, the King of Franks.
I am going to contact Boyle and send him a movie script ‘Capturing Beauty’. If he won’t produce it, I will send it to de Toro.
Everyone wants to overlook the truth that I rescued Rena in the City of Venice, by the sea. At the premiure of OUR MOVIE, we will unite. When she comes down the isle, the audience will stand as one, and sing: for the world is saved by many means, but, it is the love the artist has for his muse, that forever gets our special attention. This is what we come back for, again, and again.
The Muses, still with freedom found,
Shall to thy happy coasts repair.
Blest isle! with matchless beauty crowned,
And manly hearts to guard the fair.
Jon Presco
President: Royal Rosamond Press
Copyright 2017
An American in Her Majesty’s Ministry of Defence
March 12, 2015
By any measure, the United Kingdom has been one of the most (if not the most) reliable military allies for the United States since World War II. From the Cold War onwards, through the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United Kingdom has played a vital role in supporting the United States in the preservation of the international system forged in the aftermath of the defeat of fascism in the mid-20th century. Against this backdrop, and despite the deep historical and functional ties that exist between the diplomatic, defense, and intelligence establishments of the United States and United Kingdom, it would come as a surprise to many that there is no permanent, uniformed U.S. military presence within the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MOD) dedicated solely to joint strategic planning.
At present, there exist rich and robust coordinating mechanisms between the uniformed service staffs of these two close allies (for example, the British Army Staff to U.S. Army Staff exchange program), operational headquarters (liaison officers and embedded operational planners at U.S. Geographic Combatant Commands and the U.K. Permanent Joint Headquarters), and military education systems within each nation. However, this dynamic is presentationally and functionally unbalanced at the strategic level. For while the U.K. MOD has a dedicated uniformed presence within the Pentagon, through the office of the Chief of Defence Staff Liaison to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and in Washington, D.C. through the British Defence Staff-U.S., the Department of Defense has no corollary within the Ministry of Defence or in Whitehall.
At a time when the U.S. government and defense establishment increasingly comments on the need to do more with partners and allies, the time is right and ripe to further enhance Anglo-American strategic planning and coordination through the establishment of a permanent, uniformed, and dedicated body of embedded strategic planners and Joint Staff Liaison Officers within the Ministry of Defence. This need is all the more critical following the end of major enduring coalition operations of the last decade in Iraq and Afghanistan, which in many ways provided the context and impetus for close strategic, operational, and tactical collaboration.
Detractors to this proposal could challenge that the interoperability and integration between the militaries of each country could not be closer. On its face, this argument is fair and accurate, but only at the operational and tactical level. Much more can be done within and between the Pentagon and Ministry of Defence, particularly on legitimate strategic-level concerns, including long term planning, prioritization of effort (in a proactive, and less reactive manner), and active horizon scanning for emergent areas that could call for complementary programs and policies, especially in the context of building partner capacity and security cooperation. As recent U.S. Quadrennial Defense Reviews and National Security Strategies direct, the United States must do more with partners and allies now, and improve the conduct of current collaboration with established allies. From this vantage point, there are tremendous benefits, for both countries, that could come about through permanently embedding U.S. strategic planners and liaison officers within the U.K. Ministry of Defence.
First, a permanent strategic planning presence would support enhanced alliance management, and would directly contribute to collaborative priorities at the confluence of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Joint Staff, and Combatant Command interests. Supported by a clear mandate from the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and empowered by established reach-back mechanisms to the Joint Staff and, when applicable, relevant Combatant Commands, U.S. uniformed personnel embedded within the Ministry of Defence would be a critical enabler for U.S. national strategic plans and priorities in concert with the United States’ closest ally. Such placement could also offer a complementary role to bespoke civil servant exchanges that already exist between the Office of the Secretary of Defense-Policy, and its opposite number in the U.K., Defence Strategic Priorities. Finally, the establishment of embedded U.S. military planners would provide a real time “focal point” for American matters within the ministry, serving as an invaluable conduit to U.S. planners in Washington and around the world, and decoding and communicating intent on major U.S. strategic initiatives.
This initiative would also create a cohort of subject matter experts on the Anglo-American alliance. These individuals would provide a form of intellectual continuity, thereby addressing the current periodicity gap that exists between the occasional, and at times, ad hoc bilateral strategy development and alliance management functions on the one hand, and more frequent operational planning and execution on the other. Persistent, dedicated presence, especially as fully embedded and empowered staff officers, builds credibility and equities that reveal themselves during times of crisis and strategic shock.
Third, embedding U.S. strategic planners would allow the United States to gain an “insider” appreciation of the influences on allied strategic calculation beyond bilateral engagement (and our own biases and assumptions about how and why our allies “should” behave in the first place). For example, variables such as standing defense-related treaties (i.e. the U.K.-France Lancaster House Agreement), and the dynamics of domestic politics (especially in the differences in parliamentary vs. constitutional democracies) continually influence the atmospherics of allied decision making. Familiarity with vastly different organizational designs and processes (the United Kingdom does not have anything like the Joint Staff/OSD split in the Pentagon) matters as well when advising what is in the realm of the possible and plausible in an allied dynamic. To have an impact on bilateral issues, and identify and anticipate opportunities for optimized strategic alignment, one must understand how best to navigate and interpret the intricacies and eccentricities of one’s own national security enterprise, and also that of one’s allied partner. Mastering this complexity only comes about through dedicated, long term immersive experiences within the political/military “context” of an ally’s strategic generation and implementation machinery. In short, this sort of placement would ensure that embedded U.S. strategic planners would be “acculturated” to the environment in which the United Kingdom makes decisions on resources and formalizes its strategic direction.
Permanently embedding U.S. strategic planners as I recommend would build the growing trend of placing representatives of Five Eyes partner nations (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) in increased positions of authority and responsibility within each other’s respective service staffs, large unit headquarters, organizations, and task forces. For example, select U.K. Army officers currently hold U.S. Army division chief positions within the U.S. Army G3/5/7 (operations, plans, logistics, and training) staff. U.S. Army Pacific recently established a permanent billet for an Australian Army two star general to serve as the Deputy Commanding General of Operations, the first foreign general to be assigned to a major Army Service Component Command. In 2013, the U.S. 1st Infantry Division selected a one star U.K. Army brigadier to serve as the Deputy Commanding General of the “Big Red One.” These examples (and there are many more) illustrate the demonstrated support, interest, and utility of “cross-pollinating” Five Eyes talent across the armed services of these nations. Placing strategic planners within the strategic headquarters of close allies is the next logical step in this trajectory, beginning with U.S. representation in the U.K. Ministry of Defence.
As the current geostrategic environment demonstrates, working with partners and allies is more critical now than ever, particularly during times of decreased resources and increased challenges. Crises in the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe demand that the United States and its closest allies and partners, especially the U.K., find new ways to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their strategic collaboration. Winston Churchill’s remark on alliance management has as much resonance today as it did during the Second World War: “The only thing worse than fighting a war with allies is fighting a war without them.”
MAJ Scott A. Smitson, PhD, is an Army Strategist and a member of the CENTCOM Commander’s Action Group (CAG). From 2013-2014, he was a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow, serving as a US-UK Strategic Planner in the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence. He holds a Joint PhD in Political Science and Public Policy from Indiana University, and is the author of The Road to Good Intentions: British Nation-building in Aden.
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