SECRET UK EYES A
AIM
The aim of this paper is to develop an operational concept for the implementation of UK strategy OOA for the period 2000-2015.
3.
THE STRATEGIC CONTEXT 2000
BACKGROUND
4.
The peace since World War II has not been a particularly tranquil period in World History. Despite the nuclear umbrella, and the efforts of international peace-keeping bodies, local wars and guerilla actions have continued to
occur and armed conflicts can be numbered in their hundreds. Staying aloof from such affairs has not proved possible, and not only the UK but both America and the Soviet Union, as well as many other states, have been drawn, directly or indirectly,
into these local conflicts.
nor
5. The record of Britain's military involvement in such operations over the period and the ratio of incidents by year are illustrated at Appendices 1 & 2 to Annex B, where the national and international factors likely to influence the UK's strategic interests in 2000 are considered in greater detail. Such statistics can be misleading however: the graph gives no indication of the totality of resources employed, of the effort expended in maintaining stability and deterring conflict. It must also be viewed against the background of Britain's post-imperial decline. Nevertheless, it would appear to indicate that although UK military involvement OOA has been much reduced since the mid-seventies, OOA interests are an essential component of UK strategy and are likely to remain important in the future.
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UK EYES A SECRET