Defence Minister Philip Dunne has visited the US to witness the proximity of the UK-US collaboration on key defence programmes.
Among several visits across the south-east of the nation, Dunne, who is Minister for Defence Procurement, accompanied US Deputy Defence Secretary Bob Work in his visit to the US Marine Corp Air Station Beaufort in South Carolina where they met with RAF and Royal Navy personnel who are training on the new F-35B Lightning aircraft - a programme in which the UK is a partner.
A combination of other visits, including the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida, and the S Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia, provided the Minister with a unique insight into how the US generates and operates its capabilities and the unrivalled value that the UK gains through collaboration with the US.
Dunne said: “This has been an excellent opportunity to see at first-hand how closely UK and US Armed Forces work together, and to discuss with Deputy Secretary Work how we can take that even further. The ability of British and American military personnel to work so well together, with common approaches, common understanding and, where appropriate, common capabilities is vital to both our nations’ security.”
