‘They sent some troops to Afghanistan – and so they stayed somewhat back, somewhat off the frontline.’
That comment from President Trump about European NATO allies is difficult for me to not take personally.
My very own military service included not only leadership of the UK’s evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021, flying certainly one of the last planes out of Kabul, but inside america Air Force Special Operations Command.
In 2013, I used to be honoured for this work by then President Obama with the Air Medal.
How times have modified.
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The bereaved families of the 457 people the UK lost in service have had the injuries of their grief reopened by probably the most powerful men on this planet, and our first thoughts should be with them.
When the ally whose call we answered throws our losses within the mud, the UK’s 150,000 Afghanistan veterans are forced to reflect on what our service and sacrifices truly meant.
Only a few of us served without losing friends, and today I’m fascinated by mine – like ‘Ant’, Squadron Leader Anthony Downing, who died after being hit by a roadside bomb just before Christmas 15 years ago.
That’s why Trump’s remarks sting – this is really personal to me, nevertheless it must be essential to us all. Speaking out is about denying anyone the power to rewrite history, regardless of their power.
So allow us to be utterly clear: these comments are the reverse of the reality.
UK forces and people of our allies including Denmark and Estonia were concentrated in probably the most dangerous frontline areas in Helmand province through the heaviest years of fighting and sacrifice.
The overwhelming majority of the UK service people lost – 405 people – were killed by hostile motion.
Denmark, now subjected to White House bullying over Greenland, actually lost more troops as a share of their population than america up until 2009, and each Danish and UK losses were much like the figure for america over the war as a complete.
It stays true that the one time NATO’s Article 5 (that an armed attack against one member is taken into account an attack against all) has been invoked was by america following the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
While a spread of nations contributed from world wide, notably Australia and Georgia, it was overwhelmingly European and Canadian NATO allies who answered when it got here to the military engagements that followed – the identical nations now being threatened, insulted, and dismissed.
We must understand that President Trump’s words are unrepresentative of america military, who haven’t forgotten our deep friendship, nor the people of America on this.
Polls show that Americans oppose coercion over Greenland, and I even have had personal messages of transatlantic solidarity, including from American friends on the fitting.
At home, it’s a disgrace that the likes of Nigel Farage are so cowed that he could barely bring himself to correct such a fundamental slight.
He only felt capable of say Trump’s comment was ‘not quite fair’, which highlights his servile agreement with every little thing else, including the concept america must take over Greenland.
And it isn’t only Reform who’re making the challenge of diplomacy to satisfy.
The facility of Trump’s momentary tirades was magnified just this week by opportunistic boosting of his words on the Chagos treaty by Kemi Badenoch.
We’ve got to recognise that our national interest lies in becoming resilient to the noise from the White House, and that is not going to occur as long as some are willing to piggyback on it for shallow political gain.
It’s welcome that this week President Trump stepped back from threatening force and economic bullying through tariffs – a invaluable statement given the intense threat all of us face from Russia. It’s deeply saddening that these positive steps were undermined by his outburst on Afghanistan.
This is way from the primary time that President Trump has belittled or sought to coerce his allies, and we all know from bitter experience it would not be the last. We’ve got to reply calmly, specializing in the underlying reality greater than the superficial language.
We remain close allies with america, and our security arrangements across defence, intelligence and more are tightly interwoven, as my very own military profession illustrates.
Proposals from the likes of the Greens to threaten america with closure of bases, or cut off all our cooperation, aren’t just naive but dangerous.
This comes at a time when Russia threatens every a part of Europe across the entire spectrum: cyberattacks, cutting undersea cables, information warfare, and sabotage, along with the brutal war in Ukraine.
That growing threat from the East is combined with a really real shift in america, beneath one man’s bluster, that has been ongoing for a few years.
The USA is not any longer considering being the first guarantor of Europe’s security. Its commitment to the rules-based international order that provided a secure foundation for our shared values and interests is increasingly contested and unreliable.
So, we must reply to insults like this calmly and clearly. Remember the reality. Honour our fallen. Prevent a rupture that will profit only Putin.
And construct power with our European NATO allies and other like-minded states world wide. In order that nonetheless much we’re belittled, we are going to never be dominated.
Do you have got a story you’d wish to share? Get in contact by emailing jessica.aureli@metro.co.uk.
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