--- title: 'Brexit': Are Security Woes Next? description: Now that Great Britain has made clear it wants to pull back from Europe, will it also trim its defense spending? canonical: https://time.com/4383120/brexit-security-woes/ author: Mark Thompson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-26T21:05:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:55:25.114Z article:section: Politics og:title: Does 'Brexit' Mean Security Woes Are Next? og:description: An upcoming NATO summit should offer clues og:url: https://time.com/4383120/brexit-security-woes/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf26fe7746f0a0d4d/698899750a4a2260f19ca3b8/brexit-london.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: BRITAIN-EU-REFERENDUM-BREXIT-POLITICS og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Does 'Brexit' Mean Security Woes Are Next? twitter:description: An upcoming NATO summit should offer clues twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf26fe7746f0a0d4d/698899750a4a2260f19ca3b8/brexit-london.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Does 'Brexit' Mean Security Woes Are Next? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=018a188a-c41a-4e78-ba7a-8a964b26f611&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=018a188a-c41a-4e78-ba7a-8a964b26f611&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=018a188a-c41a-4e78-ba7a-8a964b26f611&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=018a188a-c41a-4e78-ba7a-8a964b26f611&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Watch World Leaders React To Brexit [Watch (HLS stream): Watch World Leaders React To Brexit](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/aTBkyAyg.m3u8) (1:47)  _Published 2016-06-24. Public figures around the world respond to the United Kingdom leaving the European Union._ by [Mark Thompson](https://time.com/author/mark-thompson/) ## Mark Thompson Jun 26, 2016 9:05 PM UTC  People walk over Westminster Bridge wrapped in Union flags in London on June 26, 2016. People walk over Westminster Bridge wrapped in Union flags in London on June 26, 2016. Odd Andersen—AFP/Getty Images by [Mark Thompson](https://time.com/author/mark-thompson/) ## Mark Thompson Jun 26, 2016 9:05 PM UTC The comment last spring was startling, coming as it did from NATO’s commander. “Russia and the Assad regime are deliberately weaponizing migration from Syria in an attempt to overwhelm European structures and break European resolve,” U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove, since retired, said of Moscow’s Vladimir Putin and his long-time ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad. Immigration from inside the European Union, as well as the nearly 5 million fleeing Syria’s civil war, no doubt played a role in the U.K.’s historic vote last Thursday to bail out of the E.U. While there were expressions of shock across European capitals as well as Washington, there were half-hidden smiles from inside the Kremlin. That’s because any increase in internal European tensions following Brexit can only benefit Putin’s Russia. “The consequences will be global. They are inevitable,” Putin said following the vote. “They will be both positive and negative.” The vote exposes cracks in Europe that could make it tougher to impose economic sanctions on Russia for its actions in Crimea and Ukraine. “I am concerned about a more fragmented Europe,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday. “But it is important now to look forward and work with leaders in NATO and the European Union to make sure we both strengthen NATO as a platform for European cooperation.” NATO officials had repeatedly declared before the vote that a British departure from the 28-member E.U.—largely an economic and political union—would hurt the continent’s stability, but took pains afterward to declare NATO—a 28-state military alliance—to be the true guarantor of Europe’s security. That’s why the looming North Atlantic summit in Warsaw, starting July 8, will be closely watched. Now that Great Britain has made clear it wants to pull back from Europe, will it also trim its defense spending? The U.K. is one of the handful of European nations spending 2% of its gross domestic product on its military and has been the E.U.’s mightiest military power. “Not only will Britain likely be a weaker ally in the aftermath of Brexit, but Europe will also be feebler,” Kori Schake, a fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, [writes](http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/06/25/brexit-defense-eu/) at _Foreign Policy_. But not everyone concurs. “Brexit, counter-intuitive as it might sound, will likely produce a stronger NATO,” [argues](http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/06/25/europes-loss-is-natos-gain/) ex-NATO chief James Stavridis. But his is a rare voice. “Since World War II, the United States, aided principally by Britain, has worked to reduce the potential for international conflict, with particular success in Europe; encourage democratic governance; promote free markets; and lift billions of people out of poverty,” the New York _Times_ [noted](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/26/opinion/the-security-consequences-of-brexit.html) in its lead editorial on Sunday. “A crucial brick in that system is now in danger of being removed.” Defense Secretary Ashton Carter spoke Friday with his counterpart, U.K. defense minister Michael Fallon, to stress the two nations’ military resolve despite Brexit. Carter “emphasized that the United States and the United Kingdom will always enjoy a special relationship, one reflected in our close defense ties, which remain a bedrock of U.S. security and foreign policy,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said. Ever since World War II, Washington and London have toasted the “special relationship” that has seen them standing shoulder-to-shoulder on a wide variety of international-security issues. And while leaders in both nations have said Brexit will not change that relationship, the leaders—whose urgings that Britain remain in the U.K. came to naught—could be wrong here as well. ## Transcript The British people have voted to leave the European Union and their will must be respected. Yesterday's vote speaks to the ongoing changes and challenges that are raised by globalisation, but while the UK's relationship with the EU will change One thing that will not change is the special relationship that exists between our two nations. [ FOREIGN ]. [ FOREIGN ]. [ FOREIGN ] This is a momentous and historic decision. And we respect the wishes of the British people . >> Of course there will be impact in the UK's decision to leave the EU. For China, we respect the UK people's choice. We attach great importance in developing our relationship with the UK . >> [ FOREIGN ] [ FOREIGN ] Our friends of the United Kingdom are in responsible allied and this is a very special relationship. And that relation is going to continue no matter what, period end of the story. We really do it enough over the last few years To persuade the british public of the benefits of the European Union. Today on behalf of the 27 leaders I can say that we are determined to keep our unity as 27. For all of us the union is the framework for our common future. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4383120/brexit-security-woes/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4383120/brexit-security-woes/"},"headline":"Does 'Brexit' Mean Security Woes Are Next?","datePublished":"2016-06-26T21:05:07.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:55:25.114Z","description":"An upcoming NATO summit should offer clues","url":"https://time.com/4383120/brexit-security-woes/","keywords":["Military","russia","Britain","Vladimir Putin","United Kingdom","Brexit"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf26fe7746f0a0d4d/698899750a4a2260f19ca3b8/brexit-london.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mark Thompson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/mark-thompson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf26fe7746f0a0d4d/698899750a4a2260f19ca3b8/brexit-london.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"BRITAIN-EU-REFERENDUM-BREXIT-POLITICS","caption":"People walk over Westminster Bridge wrapped in Union flags, towards the Queen Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) and The Houses of Parliament in central London on June 26, 2016. Britain's opposition Labour party plunged into turmoil Sunday and the prospect of Sco","creditText":"Odd Andersen—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/military/","name":"Military"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4383120/brexit-security-woes/","name":"Does 'Brexit' Mean Security Woes Are Next?"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Watch World Leaders React To Brexit","description":"Public figures around the world respond to the United Kingdom leaving the European Union.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/aTBkyAyg/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-06-24T19:43:56.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/aTBkyAyg.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4383120/brexit-security-woes/","duration":"PT1M47S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4383120/brexit-security-woes/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```