By Lan Shunzheng
兰顺正
It is reported that the UK and the US recently signed an agreement to jointly deploy the British Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group in the spring of 2021. According to a joint declaration of the two countries, the US Navy’s USS The Sullivans (DDG-68) and the Marine Corps’ 211th fighter squadron equipped with F-35B Lightning II aircraft will join the HMS Queen Elizabeth in her first deployment.
据报道，英美两国近日正式签署协议，将于2021年春季共同部署英国皇家海军“伊丽莎白女王”号航母打击群。根据两国声明，美海军“苏利文”号导弹驱逐舰和装备F-35B战机的美海军陆战队第211战斗攻击中队，将参与“伊丽莎白女王”号的首次部署。
That the two countries decided on the joint deployment soon after the UK announced in early January this year that the HMS Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group had formed initial combat capabilities reflects their eagerness to show the world their strong military relations. It also indicates that the mil-to-mil relations between London and Washington will grow closer after the UK completed its formal exit from the European Union.
英国今年1月初宣布“伊丽莎白女王”号航母战斗群形成初始作战能力不久，两国就决定共同部署，不难看出两国正迫切向世界展露其军事关系的牢固程度。这也预示着，在英国正式“脱欧”以后，英美两国的军事关系将变得更加紧密。
The UK has been the US’s closest military partner thanks to their shared culture and ideology. Having worked side by side with each other during WWII and the Cold War, they have also “shared weal and woe” during several regional conflicts after the Cold War. Such cooperation is expected to intensify after the UK officially leaves the EU.
由于文化以及意识形态等原因，英国长期以来一直是美国最亲密的军事合作伙伴。两国在二战和冷战中的合作自不必多说，冷战以后的多次地区冲突中，两国也多次“共进退”。随着英国正式“脱欧”，这种合作还有增强趋势。
London began to think about its post-Brexit role and position on the international stage long ago. On October 2, 2016, the then British prime minister Theresa May mentioned in a speech the strategic vision of a “Global Britain” for the first time, vowing to “surpass Europe” after Brexit and assume a new role on the broader global level, with the aim for the UK to regain global influence.
从英国方面来看，其在很早以前就开始思考“脱欧”之后在国际舞台的角色定位问题。2016年10月2日，时任英国首相的特蕾莎•梅在讲话中首次提出“全球英国”战略构想，主张“脱欧”后英国要“超越欧洲”，并在更广阔的全球层面担任新角色，目标是让英国重新获得全球身份及影响力。
However, for a country that has long fallen from the empire “where the sun never sets”, advancing the “global Britain” strategy not only requires sustained financial input, but also backing from the US. Not long ago,the American website Defense News published an article written by Ben Wallace, UK Secretary of State for Defence, saying the UK now has 21st-century carrier strike capabilities thanks to the staunch and comprehensive support and cooperation from the US in the past decade, and that the UK will continue to be the US’s most reliable, capable and staunch ally.
然而，对于从昔日“日不落帝国”辉煌中滑落已久的英国而言，推进“全球英国”战略落实，不仅需要持续的经费投入，更需要美国的支持。不久前英国国防大臣本•华莱士在美国《防务新闻》网站发表文章表示，“英国现在拥有了21世纪航母打击能力，这离不开过去十年美国在各个层面的坚定支持与合作”，英国将继续做美国“最可靠、最有能力并且最坚定的盟友”。
The HMS Queen Elizabeth Carrier was launched on July 4 2014 and commissioned on December 7 2017, being the largest military ship of the British Royal Navy along with its sister ship HMS Prince of Wales, and also a new image representitive of the British military. The US Marine Corps has been helping enhance the UK’s carrier aviation force to reinforce the core strike capability of the carrier strike group. On June 9, 2020, four F-35B fighters of the British Royal Navy and 10 of the US Marine Corps were deployed on HMS Queen Elizabeth, the largest-scale fleet onboard the carrier since 1983.
“伊丽莎白女王”号航母于2014年7月4日下水，2017年12月7日正式服役，和其姐妹舰“威尔士亲王”号同为英国皇家海军有史以来的最大军舰，也是英军的新“名片”。而美国海军陆战队一直以来都在帮助充实英国航母飞行联队，以强化英军航母核心打击力量。2020年6月9日，4架英国皇家空军的F-35B战机和10架美国海军陆战队的F-35B战机一齐部署在“伊丽莎白女王”号上，这是自1983年以来英国皇家海军航母上部署的最大规模机群。
The US also needs Britain’s support to advance its global hegemony. Washington has been holding its relations with London and the two sides’ interoperability as a key principle in its national defense strategy. In recent years, its implementation of the “America first” policy has disgruntled and driven away many allies, with Europe taking faster steps toward defense independence. Therefore, the US needs to rely on the UK to maintain its global hegemony and advance the Indo-Pacific strategy.
对于美国而言，英国的支持也是其推进全球霸权的重要支撑。美国一直把美英“双边关系的力量”和“互操作性”视为其国防战略的关键原则。近年来，“美国优先”理念让许多盟友有苦难言，对美离心倾向加重，欧洲更是在推进防务自主道路上快速前行。美国要维护全球霸权、推进印太战略，少不了要借助英国的力量。
Washington’s interests in Indo-Pacific affairs are evident to all. In contrast, under the “global Britain” vision, London’s strategic goal in the Indo-Pacific region mainly includes returning to the east of the Suez Canal, enhancing its security presence in the region, and inking trade deals with main regional economies. The purpose is to pave the way for developing economic and trade relations with the region in the post-Brexit age to offset London’s strategic losses in Europe arising from the withdrawal from the union.
美国对于印太事务的关注早已有目共睹，而在“全球英国”构想下，英国的印太战略目标主要包括重返苏伊士运河以东，体现并加强英国在印太的安全存在，以及同印太主要经济体缔结贸易协定，为“后脱欧时代”发展同该地区的经贸关系做好准备，以抵消其“脱欧”后在欧洲的战略损失。
In particular, to deliver on the “global Britain” vision, the UK has been actively seeking to enhance its security presence in the Indo-Pacific region over recent years. It has taken an active part in the regional restructuring for power balance. The US-UK joint deployment of carrier strike group portends that the two countries may poke their fingers into Indo-Pacific affairs in the military field, which will have severe negative impacts on regional stability.
尤其是，为落实“全球英国”目标，近年来英国积极谋求在印太地区提升安全存在，积极参与地区“势力均衡重组”。此次英美共同部署航母打击群，也意味着未来两国可能会在军事领域联手介入印太事务，给地区局势的稳定带来严重负面影响。
Besides, Campbell, the “Indo-Pacific coordinator” in the National Security Committee of the Biden administration, said Britain is the first country they need to expand the quadrilateral alliance comprising the US, Japan, India, and Australia. Regional countries should stay highly alert to these new movements.
此外，美国拜登政府国家安全委员会“印太协调员”坎贝尔还提出，要扩大美日印澳“四国同盟”，英国则是首先要拉拢的对象。对这些动态，地区国家要保持高度警惕。
(The author is a research fellow at ANBOUND Center for International Relations Research.)
（作者为安邦智库国际关系研究中心研究员）
