America’s key allies are seriously negligent in providing for their own defense. Not only have they utterly failed to meet the growing challenges from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, but the have actually allowed their already inadequate militaries to deteriorate to levels not seen in over a century and a half.
A brief look at two of Washington’s most important allies, the United Kingdom and Canada, illustrates just how drastic the crisis is.
Let’s start with the UK, which was once the world’s foremost sea power.
One study found that “The British Royal Navy’s operational capacity has reached a historic low…The decline leaves the fleet at its smallest operational size in over a century, raising concerns about national security and Britain’s ability to respond to global threats.”
One would assume that sinking—no pun intended– to that level would provide an incentive to take action. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. London has plans to sell off key components. The Army Recognition site reports that “According to information published by Daily Mail on January 26, 2025, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is reportedly preparing to sell two of its amphibious assault ships, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, to Brazil for a sum that undervalues their prior maintenance and refit costs. This move, part of a broader cost-cutting strategy, raises questions about the Royal Navy’s future amphibious capabilities and the strategic implications of offloading key assets at a time of increasing global instability.”
Selling vessels from an already undersized fleet is bad enough. Selling them for below market value is a further indication that the British government is disinterested in its own defense. Zona Militar adds that “British media outlets have reported criticism of the price set for their potential sale. According to reports, the offer made to the Brazilian government amounts to £20 million, a figure considered low compared to the investments made in these units over the past 14 years.”
The British think tank Geostrategy notes that a “a powerful perception of maritime decline, fanned on by Russian and Chinese discursive statecraft, has set in…geopolitics has worsened, as identified in the recent Integrated Review and Integrated Review Refresh, as well as the associated defence command papers. From December 2023, the UK got a glimpse of this as Iranian-backed Houthis began to strike and disrupt container shipping in the Red Sea. But this is only scratching the surface. Significant state-based threats have also emerged in other theatres: the same month, Venezuela threatened Guyana – to which HMS Trent was dispatched to Georgetown as a deterrent. More significantly, Russia has become a revisionist foe in Euro-Atlantic waters, including those surrounding the British Isles, while the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) fleet is growing at an astonishing rate in the Indo-Pacific…Both Russia and the PRC have long had revisionist intent, but their growing material power – particularly at sea – now gives them the means to act on it to shape the international order in accordance with their interests. In the words of James Cleverly, then Foreign Secretary, during his speech to the Mansion House in April 2023:
At this moment, China is carrying out the biggest military build-up in peacetime history…And as we see this happening; as we watch new bases appearing in the South China Sea and beyond, we are bound to ask ourselves: what is it all for? Why is China making this colossal military investment? And if we are left to draw our own conclusions, prudence dictates that we must assume the worst.”
Britain’s naval decline is mirrored in the rest of its armed forces. As noted by the United Kingdom Defence Journal (UKDJ) “According to the data release, the total number of UK Regular Forces based in the UK has decreased to 132,360 as of 1 April 2024, a notable decline from 156,970 in 2014. This represents a reduction of 24,610 personnel, or approximately 15.7%…The continuous reduction in the number of UK Regular Forces highlights a decade-long trend of downsizing. This decline reflects strategic shifts within the MOD, influenced by budgetary constraints, changes in defence policy, and a re-evaluation of military needs. Back in May 2024, it was reported that the Ministry of Defence’s latest quarterly service personnel statistics revealed a significant decline in the number of personnel in the British Army and other branches of HM Armed Forces. The total strength of UK Forces service personnel, including reserves, stands at 183,230, marking a decrease of 5,590 personnel, or 3%, from 1 April 2023.”
Tomorrow: Canada’s Vanishing Military
Photo: HMS Sutherland (British Defence Ministry photo)