LONDON — Britain intends to establish a permanent military presence in the Gulf, the report said.
The Royal United Services Institute asserted that Britain seeks to restore military bases in Gulf Cooperation Council states. The London-based think tank said Britain was working to reach agreements for army, air force and naval installations.
“The military intends to build up a strong shadow presence around the Gulf; not an evident imperial-style footprint, but a smart presence,” the report, titled “A Return to East of Suez? UK Military Deployment to the Gulf,” said. “The UK could very quickly find itself with significant military forces based in one of the world’s most contested regional security complexes.”
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We seem to be witnessing the slow transformation in the UK military posture towards a tentative return to the pre-1971 strategy of rooting Britain’s presence in the southern Gulf through agreements with its traditional allies in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with outlying anchors in Bahrain and Oman, and with close political and economic ties with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait that could be upgraded to the military level if necessary,” the report said.
Full article: Report: UK plans largest military presence in Gulf states since 1971 (World Tribune)
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