Rayleigh and Wickford MP and former Armed Forces Minister Mark Francois, who now serves as member of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee (HCDC), warned his American counterparts of the growing security threat from Russia during a recent visit by the Committee to Washington.
During their visit to the US Capitol, the Committee met with their opposite numbers on the House Armed Service Committee (HASC), as well as key staffers from the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), where they discussed transatlantic defence matters and the importance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The Committee also had further meetings with members of the US National Security Council (NSC), the Defence Department at the Pentagon, the State Department and also a special briefing over lunch with the British Ambassador, Sir Kim Darroch.
During these meetings, Mark and fellow Committee members highlighted the recent announcement by UK Defence Secretary, Gavin Williamson MP, that planning to deter Russia is now the highest priority in UK defence policy. Members of the Committee also discussed what more the UK and also the US can do to strengthen NATO in the future.
Commenting on this visit, Mark Francois said:
“While we were out in the United States, we heard about the attempted poisoning of Sergei Skirpal and his daughter Yulia, which was almost certainly perpetrated by the Russians, and which gave an added edge to the discussions we were having with key politicians and officials in Washington. It is very important that the United States and the United Kingdom stand together in defence of freedom and in response to Russian aggression.”