The Special Air Service (SAS), Special Boat Service (SBS) and other elements of UK Special Forces are held in the highest regard by the Pentagon and by US special operators. British and American special forces have forged a bond of trust over decades with joint high-risk operations and combined training. In a recent visit to Washington, DC made clear that the American leadership on both sides of the political divide, and within the military and intelligence services, believe the current British government has broken that alliance.America views the SAS and SBS as equal to its own tier-one special forces operators in Delta Force and SEAL Team Six. The eight sabre squadrons of the SAS and SBS contribute a significant amount of the special forces’ manpower relied upon by both countries.The unique partnership with the US comes with big benefits for the UK. From 2001, during the so-called ‘global war on terror’ campaigns, close cooperation with the technologically more advanced US Joint Special Operations Command catapulted an underfunded UK special forces (UKSF) into the 21st century.

It became clear that the current US administration does not trust the UK government

It became clear that the current US administration does not trust the UK government

This combined US-UK special military capability represents the finely honed tip of a counter-terrorist spear, capable of neutralising any lethal threat to ourselves and our allies at a moment’s notice. A ‘praetorian guard’ that keeps us all safer, our democracy secure and our many violent enemies hesitant to take us on. They work under a rigid command structure to carefully set legal standards and always on the very best intelligence.However, the political and military leaders we met with made it clear that America is now considering withdrawing the invitation to participate in and benefit from this combined military machine. This is a move that would have deeply damaging long-term consequences to the UK’s national security.They believe that the UK government is undermining its own ability to contribute meaningfully to any form of military alliance by misapplying British human rights legislation. The legislation is being used to support witch hunts into decades-old UK counter........

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