The Anglo-American military relationship: institutional rules, practices and narratives

This article contends that the Anglo-American military relationship is a vital yet neglected area of study. The British military have actively cultivated a relationship with the US military and its strength and durability help to account for the longevity of the broader so-called ‘Special Relationship’. The article argues that the complexities of the military relationship can best be captured by the theoretical lens provided by Lowndes and Roberts that combines different strands of institutionalism to focus on rules, practices and narratives. The intense linkages between the US and UK have become routinized, enabling them to adapt their peacetime cooperation to conflicts, and thereby address post-Cold War security challenges such as peace enforcement, counterinsurgency and post-conflict stabilisation. The article draws upon semi-structured interviews with senior military officers as well as policy documents to explore how these patterns of collaboration have become ingrained in patterns of both thinking and behaviour.