AMBASSADOR Robert Holmes Tuttle

Speeches, Remarks & Events

15 September 2007
Ambassador Tuttle's Remarks at the U.S. Navy Disestablishment Ceremony at Daws Hill

RAF Daws Hill, England

See also: U.S. command in U.K. to end as ties remain

Thank you, Captain Dittmer.

Paul Theroux, an American travel writer, spent some time in the early 1980s, traveling the British coastline on foot. He made his way from village to town, along the country's coastal paths and bridleways. He stayed in B&B's and small hotels, chatted with farmers and crofters, frequented the local pubs and cafes, and often just sat quietly on the countless benches that populate these rocky shores.

His conclusion was that this is a country defined by the sea. Its people are not an inward-looking race but one that looks constantly out to the horizon.

To the British mind, the sea is not a barrier but an uncharted corridor to exotic places. The ocean is not a wall but a bridge to be crossed - respected - and mastered by the thousands upon thousands of British souls who went to sea for their livelihood, for the thrill of exploration, and in the defense of the realm.

And it was this final approach to the sea that Thomas Campbell, a Scottish poet, was talking about when he wrote,

"Ye mariners of England,
That guard our native seas,
Whose flag has braved a thousand years,
The battle and the breeze."

In light of that great seafaring tradition, it is not surprising that our own naval personnel have felt honored to serve with their Royal Navy colleagues on missions all over the world - and supported from our bases here in High Wycombe, London and West Ruislip.

It may be the result of British irony, or just the American sense of distance, but the U.S. Navy has been here at RAF Dawes Hill – the farthest point from the sea – for over twenty years, while the U.S. Air Force operated from Dawes Hill base for thirty years before that.

Our work from here began in 1943, as part of the World War II effort. As that conflict ended and the Cold War began, this place became a command node.

It has also hosted the only U.S. Department of Defense boarding school in the world, and the single support center for Canada's defense forces in Europe.

This base has been not only a headquarters for the U.S. Navy in the UK, but it has been a truly international hub for over fifty years.

But once again, the threats that we face have altered, and we are adjusting to those new realities.

We are here today for a disestablishment ceremony. But I suggest that we view this as another example of the success and longevity of the relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States.

We have concluded that we must move the services once provided here, but we can do that precisely because we know the relationship between our countries is not limited to bases or buildings but is founded on shared vision and values.

It is built on our people. And our soldiers and sailors will continue to train together, work together - and fight together when the need arises.

Through them, we will continue to build a strength in our relationship that does not rely only on diplomats or politicians, but works on the ground - at sea and in the air - all over the world.

Sadly, the need to fight is never far away, and as I speak today:

• Over 5,000 British troops are based in southern Iraq, and as of today, 169 British soldiers have sacrificed their lives there.
• Britain is currently playing a prominent role in NATO military operations in Afghanistan, where over 7,700 British troops are fighting and where 78 British soldiers have died in combat since 2001.
• Washington and London are at the forefront of international efforts to prevent the emergence of a nuclear-armed Iran, and Britain has doubled its naval presence in the Arabian Gulf, alongside the U.S. Navy, as a warning to the Iranian regime.

For obvious reasons, I have focused on the military aspects of our relationship, but I don't need to tell this audience that it reaches far beyond the issues of security. Be it business, travel, culture or the arts, our countries are linked from top to bottom, and coast to coast.

Strangely, the closure of the U.S. naval activities in the UK is a sign that we have been more successful than we might have dared hope when it opened - that our two nations could work together and face down the dangers of a changing world.

We have proved over that half century that our faith was justified and our loyalty to each other well-founded, as we have worked together to encourage and support country after country to move from totalitarianism to democracy.

Many of the challenges of the 21st Century are different, but many remain the same.

To face down these new dangers, we must find new ways of working together and new alliances - while remaining steadfast to those to whom we are most indebted.

The relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States is not defined by the number of bases or types of services, but by our common spirit.

I know that this base and the other U.S. naval facilities in the UK over the years - Holy Loch, St. Mawgan, Eastcote, and in London - have carried that sense of spirit for many decades, and we thank Captain Dittmer and his team for all that they and their predecessors have done in that effort.

I have every confidence that our relationship is stronger than one command and larger than one base.

I believe that the vision and values that join us are found wherever we serve together.

Thank you.

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