British Defence Staff in the US: the personnel at the centre of a vital partnership

The United States of America and the United Kingdom have stood together for many years, through the First and Second World Wars, the Cold War, and more recent operations against extremism. The enduring partnership continues today as we work alongside our close ally in response to Russia’s illegal and egregious invasion of Ukraine.

Our two countries share a solid belief in the values of peace, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. These values underpin the UK-US defence co-operation which has evolved to become the most robust, deepest and advanced partnership of any two countries. The UK-US cooperation and collaboration on cyber, intelligence, medical, support and logistics, technology development, and operational planning plays a major role in global security. We are greater than the sum of our parts.

Sharing knowledge, ideas and lessons with our international partners is vital to keep up with global threats. This is achieved through extensive UK and US personnel exchanges, joint training programmes, collaborations on equipment and through shared science and technology research. We train together, we work together, we stand together, we fight together.

2,000 British personnel are stationed in the US, from California to Colorado, Nevada to Nebraska, including many members of Strategic Command. Our soldiers, sailors, aviators, civil servants and contractors in the US work closely with their US counterparts, as well as with the Administration, NATO, the Pentagon, the UN, industry, and think tanks.

Let’s meet some of the team.

• Operating from Washington DC is the UK’s Space C5ISR lead Katy. She works in Strategic Command’s capability team, facilitating collaboration between UK and US experts to safeguard our freedom to operate in space. Katy connects British personnel with the U.S. Space Force, and finds innovative ways our nations can work together in the space domain.

• Dylan helps the UK understand how the US are using artificial intelligence in Defence, both in government and in industry. The use of AI in Defence is both an opportunity and a threat, and Dylan helps us share approaches across the Atlantic.

• Responsible for international engagement for Defence Support, Steve ensures UK Defence is aligned with our allies to maintain a resilient global logistic network, capable of supporting deployed forces and deterring future threats. Based at the Pentagon, and working alongside the U.S. Joint Staff, Steve leads a team spanning six time zones who coordinate the UK’s support relationships important international partners.

• Training with our allies is essential to ensuring we are ready for whatever challenges we may face. Vicky has worked with the US to plan one of the largest combined training exercises since the Cold War, and previously she has helped the UK Armed Forces understand how they can respond to evolving world issues like climate disasters.

Partnerships are only as strong as the people at their centre, and our people on both sides on the Atlantic are doing incredible work. Alongside our closest ally, we are always ready to respond, anywhere, anytime.