Minister of the Armed Forces James Heappey and US Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy have signed a Memorandum of Agreement on joint modernisation of both the British and US Army.
The agreement is a sign of intent to formalise a number of ongoing initiatives between the two Armies, boosting opportunities to co-operate effectively as modern warfare continues to evolve.
Key cutting-edge capabilities have been identified for closer collaboration to help narrow the gaps between UK and US forces so we can operate seamlessly together in future battlespaces.
This will involve developing innovative solutions together to tackle shared threats and operational challenges that affect both nations and help protect and defend peace and security across the globe.
Minster for the Armed Forces James Heappey said:
In an age of great power competition and constant conflict, there is an even greater onus on us to work together with our greatest allies.
This agreement signals our shared determination to develop the novel capabilities that will give us that battle-winning edge and opportunity for the defence industry on both sides of the Atlantic. It is a reminder that, in a more challenging and uncertain world, Global Britain remains the United States partner of choice.”
The initial plan aims to cover complementing capabilities from 2023 to 2027, and will focus on:
Networks – the shared development of digital infrastructure to support UK/US operations
Long Range Precision Fires – improving the bi-lateral capability development
Future Vertical Lift – creating closer affiliation in the development of helicopter capability
Soldier and Ground Lethality – building on the existing collaboration to improve the effectiveness of Land forces
Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing (APNT) – providing greater coherence in the development of Multi-Domain technologies
The signing took place at the Ministry of Defence where the Minister for the Armed Forces and the US Secretary of the Army discussed in detail the plans to work together to modernise programmes and capabilities of shared importance.
US Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy said:
“The United Kingdom, one of our strongest allies, has helped secure our shared interests and values since the World Wars of the last century. Today, we continue to rely on our allies to posture ourselves for future threats, project power, deter and, if necessary, defeat our adversaries. This partnership allows costly and complex problems to be distributed and helps protect the industrial base through enabling faster innovation and cost-sharing towards achieving our modernisation priorities.”
This agreement is in line with the ambitions of the upcoming Integrated Review, with modernisation and pioneering capabilities at its core, protecting the UK and our allies against the threats of tomorrow.
The review will look at modernising military equipment and improving the capability of our world-class Armed Forces and intelligence agencies alongside our Allies.
