Litan The Secretary of Defense stands ready to fully support the United States in its “global leadership” role Ben Wallace Say.
During his visit to Washington, Mr. Wallace said that the two countries need to be prepared to deal with “an increasingly radical and retrogressive situation.” Russian And an economic and military expansionist China”.
He said that the one currently deployed Royal Navy The aircraft carrier battle group-which includes a US destroyer and 10 Marine Corps F35-B fighter jets-heading to the Indo-Pacific is an example of their military being able to work together “seamlessly.
“Our defense cooperation is the most extensive, deepest and most advanced of any two countries in the world,” he said in a speech to the American Enterprise Institute think tank.
“No matter when and where, we are ready and able to share your global leadership responsibilities. We should not leave until a major conflict occurs.
“The status quo will not be self-sustaining. Our troops must now adopt a campaign method.”
Do I think things in Afghanistan are over like this?no, I do not
Wallace said that the deployment of the aircraft carrier strike group is an opportunity to demonstrate common values and at the same time strengthen the alliance in “important corners of global strategy.”
He said that they are committed to maintaining a rules-based international order and will support the disputes between countries in the region and China over fishing rights and freedom of navigation.
“We believe in fair competition. We fight bullies-we don’t like bullies,” he said.
Mr. Wallace expressed disappointment at President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw troops from the United States. Afghanistan Say that other members of the international community have no choice but to follow suit.
“When the president said we were leaving, we had been here for 20 years, and the international community really had no choice,” he said.
However, he predicts that the withdrawal of NATO forces-including the last batch of British military trainers-will not be the last time the international community has intervened in the country.
“Do I think things in Afghanistan are over like this? No, I don’t know. The history of Afghanistan says that no one has done it,” he said.
Mr. Wallace also stated at the press conference that the British intervention in Afghanistan has achieved some gains, including reducing the number of terrorist activities in the UK, but the two transatlantic allies need a longer and clearer approach to foreign intervention. strategy. .
“One of the missions we went there (to do) was the CT (Counter-Terrorism) mission, which definitely had an impact on the streets of the UK,” he said.
“In a few years, we have hardly launched Al Qaeda attacks or planned conspiracies on the streets of Europe and Britain. This is very important. You save it. Well, that’s not forever, but we have 15 years to run out. The AQ (Al-Qaeda) cannot use violence against us.”
But he added: “China has a 100-year plan. It’s really really obvious. What is the difference between the 100-year plan and our plan? Four years, three years?
“I think we all need to realize that there is no short-term solution and that it is a long-term effort to stick to the values we believe in.”
