Something very important has happened with the U.K. vote to exit the European Union. At this stage no one knows how this will shake out, even in the short term. From the standpoint of an American, it appears to me that now the only person to be listened to in Europe is German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The E.U. members might have looked at the vote and said " Hang on, maybe the Brits have a point or two, and maybe we should fix some things." However it looks like nobody is in a conciliatory mood and what to have a go at the British with red hot pincers and thumbscrews.
Angela looks like she will be the first one heating up the red hot irons. She probably feels that she has to tho keep the other member states in line.
I subscribe to an international military magazine and one of the recent photo article dealt with a joint British/French military exercise in Britain. We may not be seeing any more of that kind of thing.
Since this is a military forum I would like to hear from other members about what they think will be the military implications of Brexit.

Absolutely no implications, defence agreements are generally the responsibility of individual nation states, the EU charter only has a couple of clauses primarily artilce 42 that deal with defence and Britain has been very reticent to impliment that.

Probably the biggest threat to come from Brexit to the UK military will be defense spending cuts once they have lose EU trade and financial support.

That's the kind of thing I was thinking about. I know the Royal Navy has some very expensive items on the shopping list: completion of two aircraft carriers, new destroyers, a replacement for Trident. The Army requires new tanks, which will surely now be American tanks. The RAF looks to integrate the J-35.
All those items were going to be a stretch in the current budget climate. Any reduction in revenues will probably put some or all of those plans in the waste paper basket.

Who's to say we won't grasp this opportunity to forge new trade deals with the rest of the world and not need EU crumbs. We maybe leaving the EU, but we're still a member of NATO.

Originally Posted by The Highway Man

Who's to say we won't grasp this opportunity to forge new trade deals with the rest of the world and not need EU crumbs. We maybe leaving the EU, but we're still a member of NATO.

With whom will you forge these deals, given that you have just walked out of the 2nd largest (may be the largest) market in the world?

I am not entirely sure the Commonwealth is all that interested in signing up to anything spectacular given that it was the UK that abandoned its deals with the Commonwealth to join the EU and even if we were to come to an agreement the Commonwealth could never hope to replicate the sort of volumes or value of the EU as we just arent big enough or wealthy enough.

Which leaves you more or less with the Chinese or Americans and while the Chinese may throw a bit of cash around again it could not match the EU and the Americans are a very protected market as witnessed by the mess of the Trans-Pacific Partnership so I am not sure that will help you much either.

Basically you voted to keep your money out of the EU and keep the EU's population out of the UK and in the end you will be out of the EU but paying it the same money and accepting its freedom of movement laws to stay in its single market.

The genius of xenophobia at work, well done.

Incidently here is Obama's take on a trade deal with the UK...

Obama Says Brexit Would Put U.K. at Back of Line for Trade Deals

President Barack Obama said Britain would be at “the back of the queue” to negotiate a trade agreement with the U.S. if it votes to leave the European Union, in a direct assault on the arguments of those who say the U.K. could win better deals outside the bloc.
“Some of the folks on the other side have been ascribing to the United States certain actions we will take if the U.K. does leave the EU,” Obama said at a joint press conference in London Friday with Prime Minister David Cameron. “For example, that, well, we’ll just cut our own trade deals” with the U.S. “Maybe at some point down the line there might be a U.K.-US trade agreement, but it’s not going to happen anytime soon.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/ar...al-post-brexit

Originally Posted by MontyB

With whom will you forge these deals, given that you have just walked out of the 2nd largest (may be the largest) market in the world?

I am not entirely sure the Commonwealth is all that interested in signing up to anything spectacular given that it was the UK that abandoned its deals with the Commonwealth to join the EU and even if we were to come to an agreement the Commonwealth could never hope to replicate the sort of volumes or value of the EU as we just arent big enough or wealthy enough.

Which leaves you more or less with the Chinese or Americans and while the Chinese may throw a bit of cash around again it could not match the EU and the Americans are a very protected market as witnessed by the mess of the Trans-Pacific Partnership so I am not sure that will help you much either.

Basically you voted to keep your money out of the EU and keep the EU's population out of the UK and in the end you will be out of the EU but paying it the same money and accepting its freedom of movement laws to stay in its single market.

The genius of xenophobia at work, well done.

It's down to the politicians and money men with far more qualifications than me to make it work. I go to work, come home and get paid at the end of the month. As long as that doesn't change, I'm a happy man.

Originally Posted by The Highway Man

It's down to the politicians and money men with far more qualifications than me to make it work. I go to work, come home and get paid at the end of the month. As long as that doesn't change, I'm a happy man.

When was the last time a politician or "money man" achieved anything positive for the average joe?

All of the things in that list that make you happy rely on the people who have failed you for the last 50 years fixing things, I am hoping you arent banking on this going in your favour.

I never get involved in politics - I'm a man of simple tastes.

Apparently not many British politicians want to involve themselves in politics either. Boris Johnson wants no part of being PM and the Labor Party is in disarray. Nobody wants the responsibility of negotiating terms with the E.U. over Britain's exit.
Now that the crockery is smashed and lying on the floor there is no one who wants to clean up the mess and who can blame them? There will no credit to be earned, but plenty of blame.