Editor’s Note: This article is part of an ongoing WPR series about NATO members’ contributions to and relationships with the alliance.
There has never been a question of the U.K.’s preference for NATO as a guarantor of European security, instead of a separate European force. In an email interview, John Louth, senior research fellow and director for defense, industries and society at the Royal United Services Institute, describes the U.K.’s role in the alliance and explains why U.K. officials—like U.S. President Donald Trump—believe European allies should spend more on defense.
WPR: How do NATO alliance concerns shape the U.K.’s security and defense policy, and what role does the U.K. play within the alliance?