Combined Chiefs' Confab

The chiefs of staff of the United States and Great Britain met this week for the first time since the 1940s, according to a British defense ministry statement:

The Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) from the US and the UK met today, 10 June, to discuss the long-term strategic challenges that their respective armed forces can expect to face together in the future.

General Martin E Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the heads of the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force, met with General Sir Nicholas Houghton, UK Chief of the Defence Staff, and UK service chiefs.

The senior military leaders were greeted by an guard of honour provided by Number 7 Company of the Coldstream Guards and the Band of the Welsh Guards, before attending the annual UK-US CCS conference at defence headquarters in Whitehall.

Topics discussed included how to continue the successful collaboration between their respective armed forces once the drawdown from Afghanistan has been completed and the importance of the transatlantic security alliance in advance of September's NATO Summit.

The bilateral military relationship between the UK and US is based on a long, shared history which has seen both forces routinely involved in combat operations together, more prominently over the last decade. This meeting reinforces the close alliance between the two countries' armed forces.

General Dempsey said:

We share a remarkably close relationship; not just as nations but as militaries. It’s one founded on our history, our values and genuine friendships. Whether we’re deployed in combat operations or in London addressing common priorities, our combined strength and experience make us better.

General Houghton added:

This important meeting of the Combined UK and US Chiefs of Staff comes at a significant time for both our militaries as we transition beyond combat operations in Afghanistan and reconfigure for emerging challenges. Discussions today have reflected the enduring and historic links between our two armed forces and underlined the closeness and strength of our military relationship.

The Combined Chiefs of Staff met regularly during World War Two between 1942 and the end of the conflict, but also convened in 1948 in response to the Berlin blockade, according to the ministry.