LONDON, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Britain has announced the nation's military will begin to 'rebalance' itself into a leaner, faster computer-based force and will dispose of a numbers of planes, ships and tanks.
British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon gave no numbers, and insisted there are no plans to cut manpower. But his defense White Paper, "Delivering Security in a Changing World," said the aim was for much improved computer-network intelligence and precision to 'allow the same military effect to be achieved with less," United Press International reports.
The report echoes the conclusions of the Pentagon, which is already moving rapidly towards 'Network Centric Warfare,' and lighter, more flexible forces to counter the increasing threat from terrorists and other less conventional sources.
Hoon said that significant British expeditionary operations "can only effectively be conducted if U.S. forces are engaged," and that British forces must continue to be interoperable with the U.S. if Britain was to maintain its influence and credibility with American military power.
He did not dismiss the European Union and other European forces, but said that the "key to retaining interoperability with the U.S., for our European allies as well as for the United Kingdom, is likely to rest in the successful operation of NATO's new Allied Command for Transformation."
