British military leader outlines closer engagement with Gulf, Arab, African nations

 LONDON, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The professional head of the British military on Tuesday outlined a future for the country's armed forces that included a much-enhanced engagement with African, Gulf¹ and Arabian peninsula states.

Britain's Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir David Richards said in his annual keynote address at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a leading military think-tank in London, that plans drawn² up this summer would involve the creation of a Tri-service Joint³ Expeditionary Force.

He explained, "Britain's Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) will be capable of projecting power with global effect and influence."

Richards outlined changes to the British military brought on by the Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2010 which heralded⁴ 8 percent cuts over four years from a 37 billion pound (about 60 billion U.S. dollars) annual defence budget.

The British Army is currently set to lose 20,000 soldiers from its 100,000 manpower up to 2020, and Richards said the core of the slimmer army would be three high-readiness manoeuver brigades, and two additional adaptable⁵ brigades to sustain enduring operations and routinely develop partnerships⁶ and knowledge around the world.

Richards explained, "Though more conceptual work is needed, given the importance of the Middle East and clear Prime Ministerial intent, I envisage⁷ two or more adaptable brigades forming close tactical level relationships with particular countries in the Gulf and Jordan, for example, allowing better cooperation with their forces."

The development of these links would raise Britain's capabilities⁸ to support its regional allies as they contained and deterred⁹ threats, said Richards.

The General also singled out Kenya and Uganda for support in their war against terrorism in Somalia, and pointed¹⁰ to Mali and Yemen as areas for concern.

Richards drew on the example of the 2011 war in Libya, where NATO forces were joined by forces from Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, as a model for future and deeper joint integration¹¹.

Richards also praised the cooperation between British naval¹² forces and Chinese naval forces in combating piracy¹³ in the Indian Ocean and off the African coast.

He said, "In the seas off Somalia we are playing our part in an operation that is controlling the spread of piracy. Alongside navies from around the world, including China, Pakistan, and India, reinforcing the benefit of cooperation."

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 heralded   

v.预示( herald的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布（好或重要）

参考例句：

• The singing of the birds heralded in the day. 鸟鸣报晓。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King. 嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 adaptable   

adj.能适应的，适应性强的，可改编的

参考例句：

• He is an adaptable man and will soon learn the new work.他是个适应性很强的人，很快就将学会这种工作。
• The soil is adaptable to the growth of peanuts.这土壤适宜于花生的生长。

6 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

7 envisage   

v.想象，设想，展望，正视

参考例句：

• Nobody can envisage the consequences of total nuclear war.没有人能够想像全面核战争的后果。
• When do you envisage being able to pay me back?你看你什么时候能还我钱？

8 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

9 deterred   

v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I told him I wasn't interested, but he wasn't deterred. 我已告诉他我不感兴趣，可他却不罢休。
• Jeremy was not deterred by this criticism. 杰里米没有因这一批评而却步。 来自辞典例句

10 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

11 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

12 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

13 piracy   

n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害

参考例句：

• The government has already adopted effective measures against piracy.政府已采取有效措施惩治盗版行为。
• They made the place a notorious centre of piracy.他们把这地方变成了臭名昭著的海盗中心。