The reason behind the resignation of the British defense minister.
An English newspaper considers the former British defense minister’s attempt to cancel the contract for the purchase of military helicopters as one of the factors behind the resignation of this British defense official.
In a report, the English newspaper “Times” discussed the background before the recent resignation of “Ben Wallace”, the Minister of Defense of this country, who officially resigned on Thursday last week.
Ben Wallace was accused of inciting a diplomatic spat with the US government after threatening to cancel an order for US military helicopters to be used by British special forces, the report said.
Last month, the former British defense minister directly warned his counterpart in the Pentagon about canceling the purchase of 14 Chinook H-47 helicopters from the United States, although after that the British cabinet ministers agreed on the delivery of these American helicopters.
The quarrel between the British and American defense ministers stirred up the American and British ambassadors and brought in the British Prime Minister’s Office to intervene in order to defuse the tension.
According to this report, Wallace officially resigned from the position of British Defense Minister on Thursday last week (September 9), while he had previously hoped to succeed Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of NATO.
In June, after U.S. President Joe Biden backed out of Wallace’s candidacy for the post of NATO Secretary General, Wallace admitted that his campaign to become NATO Secretary General had failed.
Stoltenberg, who was the former prime minister of Norway, extended his term as NATO Secretary General for another year. NATO leaders are reportedly looking for a former head of state to replace Stoltenberg.
Last month, Wallace openly expressed frustration over the lack of support from the White House for his bid to become the head of NATO, telling the Sunday Times: “Why don’t you support your closest ally when they announce their candidacy? I think it’s a fair question.”
The Times wrote that it can now be revealed that the 53-year-old Wallace spent his last weeks as Britain’s defense secretary trying to cancel a multibillion-dollar US helicopter contract to buy military helicopters for Britain’s special forces.
The contract between the British and American armies included the purchase of 14 Chinook H-47 helicopters manufactured by the American Boeing Company, and according to expectations, the first helicopter is expected to be delivered to England by 2026.
The US says that these helicopters will strengthen Britain’s ability to play a role in joint operations with US partners and other NATO countries.
