A former Pentagon official has stated that the United States is not altering its long-standing neutrality on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, but suggested that Washington might apply significant diplomatic pressure on the United Kingdom to meet its defense spending commitments to NATO.
Morgan Murphy, who previously served as a press secretary in the War Department, told Fox News Digital that the U.S. position on the islands remains unchanged, despite reports that the UK may reduce its defense spending targets. Murphy characterized any perceived U.S. pressure as "leverage, not abandonment," asserting that increased UK defense spending would serve the national security interests of both the United States and the United Kingdom.
"You don’t take the security and skip the bill. That is free-riding," Murphy said. "Friends tell friends the check is due. Squeeze is accountability."
The dispute comes as UK Chancellor John Healey is expected to announce that the government will drop its target of spending 3% of gross domestic product on defense by 2030 when he delivers his first budget in October, according to The Financial Times. Under current projections, UK defense spending is set to reach 2.7% of GDP by 2030, with a new timeline for reaching 3% anticipated by 2035. This aligns with NATO's 2025 Hague Summit Declaration, where allies agreed to spend 5% of GDP annually on defense and security-related expenditures by 2035, including at least 3.5% on core defense requirements.
Murphy highlighted that while the U.S. maintains neutrality on Falklands sovereignty and recognizes British administration of the islands, diplomatic options remain available. He noted that the islanders themselves voted overwhelmingly in a 2013 referendum to remain a British overseas territory.
"I no longer work at the White House and can’t speak in any way for the administration, but I can say that the islanders voted 99.8% to stay British in 2013," Murphy stated. "We can’t ‘withdraw support’ for sovereignty of the Falklands that was never there."
The U.S. push for allies to increase defense spending is part of a broader review of troop deployments in Europe. Elbridge Colby, Under Secretary of War for Policy at the Pentagon, has been leading efforts to encourage European allies and Canada to take greater responsibility for NATO’s conventional defense, with the U.S. expected to maintain a supporting role, including its nuclear deterrent.
Murphy suggested that potential U.S. pressure tactics could include public statements from the president, annual reviews, and potentially tariffs, emphasizing that the "special relationship" is a privilege, not a "welfare program." He pointed out that many European nations have historically fallen short of the 2% defense spending guideline, while the U.S. has often borne a disproportionate load.
A UK government spokesperson, in response, stated that the UK plays a central role in NATO and is strengthening collective defense. They noted that the UK is NATO's third-largest cash spender on defense and the only European member to commit its nuclear deterrent to the alliance. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Pentagon and 10 Downing Street for comment.