BRITAIN must look to India, Australia and even space for its future growth, a landmark post Brexit study will say.
It will say we must develop Indo-Pacific relations — while remaining firm friends with the US.
Boris Johnson’s long awaited Integrated Review into post-Brexit defence and foreign policy will be published in ten days’ time.
As well as urging Britain to forge closer ties with countries like Japan, Singapore and India, it will also recommend a massive overhaul of defence spending to focus on Artificial Intelligence.
That would cement our status as a “global science superpower” — and involve pumping billions into a new British Space Force. It will also urge a major decrease in the UK’s reliance on Chinese goods, firms and technology.
But it also risks controversy by urging Britain to turn away from alliances with our closest neighbours in Europe to forge closer ties with Commonwealth countries.
The review will be followed by a Defence Command Paper on March 22, which will set out Ministry of Defence plans for modernising the Armed Forces with a £24.1billion defence spend.
Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter will oversee the transition, understood to include a cut in the size of the Army and a scaling back of tank and artillery capabilities.
But there will be huge investment in modern warfare tools such as air and sea drones.
He said: “It is a great privilege to be at the heart of this and to play my part in ensuring that our soldiers, sailors, aviators, space and cyber warriors have the skills and equipment they need to win.”
