Location: The Heritage Foundation's Lehrman Auditorium

Amid the intense debates in Washington over the future of the Afghanistan operation, the British role in the Afghan war is all too often forgotten on this side of the Atlantic.  However, the UK's mission is vital, both in terms of combat operations as well as providing crucial leadership among America's NATO allies.  Over two thirds of the 65,000 soldiers currently serving in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan are from Anglosphere nations, including 9,000 from the UK, 2,800 from Canada, and over a thousand from Australia.  Great Britain alone has almost as many personnel in Afghanistan as continental Europe's big four put together - France, Germany, Italy and Spain.  Over 210 British servicemen and women in Afghanistan have sacrificed their lives in Afghanistan, more than the combined losses suffered by all other European contingents.

Join us as UK Shadow Defense Secretary Liam Fox assesses the huge challenges faced by Britain, the United States and the NATO alliance in Afghanistan, and underscores why victory against the Taliban is vital to the security of the West.  Dr. Liam Fox has been a Member of Parliament since 1992, and was appointed Shadow Defense Secretary in 2005.  He has served as Shadow Foreign Secretary, Shadow Health Secretary and as Co-Chairman of the opposition Conservative Party, and was a Foreign Office Minister in the last Conservative Government.  Dr. Fox has been a frequent visitor to Washington and to The Heritage Foundation over the past several years.  He established his think tank, The Atlantic Bridge, in 2003, and has worked tirelessly to advance the Special Relationship between the United States and Great Britain.  Liam Fox is a leading advocate of increased defense spending within the NATO alliance and a key opponent of defense integration within the European Union.