Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has become the first UK Defence Minister to deliver a speech at Paris’ Université d’été, confirming the UK's commitment to European security.
Discussing the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, Fallon reiterated that Britain will retain its global position at the centre of security and that ‘security co-operation with our European and other allies will remain strong’.
The Defence Minister also advised that as the ‘threats we face shift and grow’, Brexit should be viewed as an opportunity to recast our European defence relationship to make it ‘fitter for modern times’. This will be done by: strengthening the UK’s commitment to NATO, continuing support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, increasing troop contribution by 10 per cent to help secure Afghanistan’s fledgling democracy, and honouring the ongoing commitment to our independent nuclear deterrent.
Fallon’s message was clear - ‘as we negotiate our exit from the EU, our commitment to European security will remain undiminished’.
