UK foreign policy to pivot to Indo-Pacific after landmark integrated review
The UK will undergo a major strategic policy change by pivoting toward Indo-Pacific countries like India as a result of the government’s long-awaited integrated defence and foreign policy review.
The review will also see the government create a Situation Centre that will mimic the White House’s Situation Room and a new counter-terrorism operations centre.
The government’s integrated review will be released tomorrow, with Boris Johnson to say that the Indo-Pacific – which includes countries like the US, India, Australia and Japan – is “increasingly the geopolitical centre of the world” in a major shift in foreign policy away from Europe.
Number 10 said today that “the UK cannot rely solely on an increasingly outdated international system to protect our interests and promote our values” and that the review would “establish a new government foreign policy of increased international activism”.
In a statement, the Prime Minister said: “I am profoundly optimistic about the UK’s place in the world and our ability to seize the opportunities ahead.
“The ingenuity of our citizens and the strength of our Union will combine with our international partnerships, modernised Armed Forces and a new green agenda, enabling us to look forward with confidence as we shape the world of the future.”
The 100-page integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy will also expand defence hubs in Scotland, while also creating a new cyber security office in England’s North.
It comes after Johnson announced a further £24.1bn in defence spending over the next four years last year.
The review is expected to see at least another £80bn spent on military technology over that same period.
Number 10 said: “Just as other nations are investing in cutting-edge technology and using all the instruments available to them to achieve their goals, so too must the UK.
“The review sets out how the whole of government, as well as our extensive capabilities and international partnerships, will be brought together to shape the international order and protect and champion the UK’s interests and values.”