FOREWORD
16 AIR POWER 2017 21st CENTURY PARTNERSHIPSThird, enhance our international cooperation. We are
stronger when we stand together. As the UK steps back from
the European Union, we will be stepping up to contribute to
European and global security. We will continue seeking to
strengthen NATO – the bedrock of our defence – and bolstering
our bilateral ties. New acquisitions such as P-8, alongside
the development of the carriers and F-35, offer even greater
scope for partnership working. Reaching out comes as second
nature to the RAF. Its role in our 70-nation Counter-Daesh
coalition, in NATO reassurance and in Exercise Eastern Venture- where it won friends and new investment across the Asia-
Pacific region – shows the UK has no finer ambassador.
So dark clouds of instability might be massing on the
horizon, but our RAF remains a ray of hope. In days gone by the
RAF stood between tyranny and freedom. Today it is liberating
the oppressed. As the shape of our formidable future fleet
emerges, imagine what it can do tomorrow. As we build our
21st-century partnerships, imagine what we can do together.
The F-35 Lightning programme underlines the UK’s ability to partner in the most advanced combat air projects (PHOTO: SAC TIM LAURENCE/© CROWN COPYRIGHT)