Will the EU ever say ‘thank you’ to the United Kingdom for defending its territory?

RAF deploys fighter jets and Expeditionary Air Wing personnel to EU’s Romania

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2022

Once again, Brexit Britain flies to the protection of the EU

On Saturday the Ministry of Defence announced that British Typhoon jets and Royal Air Force personnel are deploying to Romania. They will operate as part of NATO’s ‘Air Policing mission’ for the Black Sea region, on the EU’s eastern flank.

The RAF Typhoon jets are from No.3 (Fighter) Squadron and are normally based at RAF Coningsby. They will be conducting the NATO Air Policing mission from Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base on the Romanian Black Sea coast.

Photo courtesy of MoD, Typhoons in Romania, Sat 26 Mar 2022

Air Vice-Marshal Philip Robinson, Air Officer Commanding 11 Group said:

“The arrival of our personnel and equipment in the region highlights the RAF’s continued commitment and contribution to the NATO Air Policing mission in Romania.
“During the deployment, we will be working alongside our Romanian and other NATO partners, enabling the delivery of the mission and protecting and reassuring our allies, whilst building confidence and maintaining deterrence.”
- Air Vice-Marshal Phil Robinson, OBE, DFC, 26 Mar 2022

Air Vice-Marshall Phil Robinson is a Chinook pilot who has been three times been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), for service during the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War.

British troops on the ground in the EU

This mission does not only commit British fighter jets. It is also supported by the deployment of 150 RAF personnel currently based at RAF Wittering, who form the Headquarters of an Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW).

Members of the No 1 Expeditionary Logistics Squadron and No 2 Mechanical Transport Squadron will also be sustaining the Typhoon jets during the mission.

Air policing is a purely defensive operation which began in 1961 during the Cold War. The mission ensures the security and integrity of all NATO Alliance’s airspace. This is monitored by operations centres and where it is assessed that an interception is required, NATO aircraft can be scrambled as part of a Quick Reaction Alert.

The EU’s weak record on defence

We have previously reported many times on the appallingly low levels of defence spending amongst EU countries. Two weeks ago the new German Chancellor finally announced that Germany’s defence spending would increase from 1.2% to 2% of GDP – the NATO minimum.

For years Germany has consistently underspent on defence. The deficit is now so large that even if the German Chancellor had announced an increase to 10% of GDP in an effort to catch up, it would take years for the Germans to have an effective force.

Germany has a significant arms industry which sells to countries in the EU and around the world. Sadly it has not been able to supply its own armed forces sufficiently, due to insufficient federal budgets for decades.

And finally, who was in charge of German defence for six years?

Germany’s Defence Minister from 2013 to 2019 was one Ursula von der Leyen. She was regularly described in the German media as Germany’s least effective minister.

She was then parachuted into Brussels by Angela Merkel in 2019 and appointed as EU Commission President.

Ursula von der Leyen when she was Germany's Defence Minister.
Photo right: credit Handelsblatt

Observations

We must take defence seriously

Several years ago Facts4EU.Org called for the UK’s defence expenditure to be doubled – to a minimum of 4% of GDP. We were concerned by President Putin in particular and by China’s growing bellicosity and its actions in the South China Sea.

How we wish the Government had listened back then.

Defence spending is similar to spending on insurance premiums. You hope never to have to make a claim. But when you do, the protection must be there.

The EU continues to rely on the United Kingdom’s military power

When it comes to the EU, in our report above we have provided further evidence of how the United Kingdom continues to protect the EU’s eastern flank, in the absence of effective defence by most EU countries.

This is in addition to the UK’s commitment in protecting the EU’s northern flank as we reported two weeks ago, and on its southern flank.

It almost defies belief that the EU describes itself as a peace project. To ensure peace it is essential to have full defensive capabilities. The EU does not have these, and many of its member countries are not even members of Nato – which HAS defended the peace for the last seven decades.

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[ Sources: Ministry of Defence | Handelsblatt ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Mon 28 Mar 2022

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Reader Comments 9

1. Catherine Macdonald , Monday, March 28, 2022, 07:03:

Not a few Americans in the Twittersphere complaining about subsidizing Europe's defence, so it would seem public thank-you messages to the US as well as to the UK from some European corners aren't registering, if sent at all.
PS Three DFC awards is going some!

2. Leslie , Monday, March 28, 2022, 07:55:

Call back the British Typhoon jets! I was told by Rejoiners that the EU is the peacekeeper in Europe so we've got nothing to do or worry about.

3. Mark , Monday, March 28, 2022, 08:39:

Great to see British troops taking part in a NATO mission and not in an EU mission.

4. Oracle , Monday, March 28, 2022, 14:10:

Your subtitle reads "RAF deploys fighter jets and Expeditionary Air Wing personnel to EU’s Romania"
You omitted to mention that Romania is also a NATO member since 2004.
Therefore, it would be just as, if not more accurate to say "A NATO member bolstered the defence capabilities of another member, in accordance to the defence agreement signed by all it's members." But factual headlines don't promote "engagement" (aka division) or encourage donations.
The apolitical reality is, we could not opt-out of our NATO committments out of spite just because some people still do not realise that we are out of the EU.
You will remember that, Pre-Brexit, the EU talked about militarising & our then defence secretary was adamant that the UK would veto such a move.
There never was, still is no inclination in the UK to see the world's biggest trade alliance also become an armed one, understandably so.
All the more perplexing then, why we excluded ourselves from steering the conversation.
"Keep your friends close, your EU friends closer" would have been the objective counsel.
Much like Putin, who invaded Ukraine to avert disaster for Russia - has hastened it; likewise our (your) efforts to never see a militarised EU seem to have assured it.
Remain did warn that our departure would embolden Russia abecause the US, ourselves & other allies were already committed to & stretched thin in the Middle East conflicts.
That warning too, was drowned out "Get it Done" even though Mr Putin was already helping himself to parts of Ukraine & bullying Georgia.
Another Project Fear prediction has unfortunately occured. The world's bigegst ever trade bloc next door, that we spurned, is morphing into a heavily militarised, trade bloc.
But, Lefty Tears makes it all the more worthwhile I suppose.

5. Diane , Monday, March 28, 2022, 16:54:

The UK did spurn the EU's military ambitions and rightly so and with much agreement although the PM is and will be under pressure now from some quarters to think again but even lately, UK senior Diplomatic and Military voices are still opining a definitive "No" with one source calling the idea ( that of a so called EU army ) "barking mad"

6. Oracle , Monday, March 28, 2022, 21:56:

That was then. Right now, Germany has pledged 100 billion euro towards defence just this year alone. The realisation that Putin could be in Vienna in under 10 hours if Ukraine falls is keeping them awake. The EU swiftly drafted policies due to be active by 2030. This time, we don't have veto powers. The other problem is that as an economic alliance, members can easily withdraw, as we did - but when countries start inter-twining military capabilities & tactical co-ordination; then you have the India/Russia situation - bound at the ankle for life. If the EU coalesces into a military power, then it'll be in existence far longer than many of you here would enjoy.
Worse still - your favourite member, France, would be it's strongest & most likely to make a mint as compensation for it's submarine deal loss.
The US was very cool to the idea of an armed EU under Trump' because he thought the US would lose defence deals, even though the EU pointed out that 85% of their defence budget was spent in the US. It was becoming apparent that the US liked pole position in Europe out of economic interest & we let them secure the continent on our behalf - until Trump made the decision to leg it from Afghanistan. At that point it had to be done because he'd started a Twitter spat with China that was getting out of hand. He lost just in time for it to become someone else's problem.
Another problem, the US is actually warming up to the idea of an EU army due to Putin's recent antics.The situation may be beyond our sphere of influence, even if The Followers vote Trump back in.

7. jon livesey , Tuesday, March 29, 2022, 00:31:

6. Oracle" To be "in" the EU, just for the pleasure of being outvoted 27 to 1 on every issue? Pure genius.

8. Pacer Burton , Tuesday, March 29, 2022, 06:34:

No they won't, and where was the EU and nato when the Falklands war happened, nowhere.

9. Oracle , Tuesday, March 29, 2022, 09:41:

6. I would say thanks but ever since Trump called Putin's invasion of Ukraine "genius", it has ceased to be a compliment.
From official EU stats: During the period 2004-09, the UK was outvoted on just 3 per cent of occasions (3 out of 100).
From 2009 until the referendum this increased to 12%, or in other words, we were still being afforded the pleasure of getting our way almost 9 times out of 10.
Pretty much "on every issue" - just the opposite to what you say. This is partly why Leave voters get so much wrong about the EU; you're mostly making assumptions based on alternative facts, party before country allegiance & chain-letter style emotions.
It is little wonder then, that the EU & the rest of the world were simply shocked at this & it may also be partly why the EU are no longer Mr Nice Guy during negotiations.
That's all in the past now; it is fair to say the EU/UK walk-away is now mutual. Some voters think otherwise but it's done now. Thy want you gone as much as you are gone. They've decided unity is worth one less member. And good on them too, just in the nick of time on the Doomsday Clock. Ukraine will need re-building & seeing as we can't even accept any refugees, I doubt we'll want to be involved, one of the perks of isolationism.
7.NATO will not intervene south of the Tropic of Cancer. Verify that, it's in their Articles. Also, NATO is a conflict cessation alliance, while the EU is a peace building one. Complimentary forces. That may be set to change by the end of this decade though.

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