Harsh economic conditions mean that British defense forces will have to rely on allies, Gen. Sir David Richards, British chief of the Defense Staff, said in a lecture December 14.

“I am clear that the single biggest strategic risk facing the UK today is economic rather than military,” he said at the start of his speech. Britain “may have to prioritize more ruthlessly now that we have fewer ships, men and planes.”

“The UK will require other carefully chosen alliances over the coming decade through which to influence the strategic landscape and help determine the outcome of fast-moving crises, all at minimum cost,” he said. The economic reality “will require us to accept that some capabilities will be kept at a lower readiness or, (horror of horrors!) provided by others.”

General Richards praised the Anglo-French alliance. He also talked about the intervention in Libya, where ground forces were provided by “our Arab partners,” as a model of this type of cooperation.

Bible prophecy shows that reliance on foreign allies is a crucial weakness for Britain. Trusting in foreign countries for defense, it will be betrayed.

For information on how this same dangerous weakness afflicts America, and what the outcome will be for both nations, see our article “Former Superpower Seeks Foreign Lovers.”