The Sentinel States of The Anglosphere
Within the Inner Anglosphere the networks between communties have produced a 'pugilstic core' of five states. These five states are not only consistent advocates of Anglospheric values and norms, but have, during WW2 and after, been prepared to take military action in their defence. These five states are Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US. Together they have established a nexus of informal governmental relationships that exhibit high levels of trust and cooperation.
ARMED FORCES COHESION & INTEGRATION
Expanding The Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance
Two states are very close to the Five Eyes Intelligence countries. The first is Singapore and the second is Japan. Singapore is a longstanding miltary ally of the UK, Australia and New Zealand (FPDA) and is a communications hub. As such it is able to play a key role in SIGINT operations in support of Five Eyes Operations. As such, it is approaching a status that would constitute 'Sixth Eye' status.
Japan is also very close to the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. Levels of trust are very high and recently Japan has signed bilateral military/ecurity arrangements with each of the Five Eyes members.
Five Eyes Intelligence Cooperation
Originally, the 'Five Eyes' moniker applied to the secret UK-US Agreement that covered Signals Intelligence (SIGINT). Its existence only became public in 2010. The term 'Five Eyes' has been broadened to act as an umbrella term for all aspects of intelligence cooperation between the Sentinel States. Each of the individual state agencies cooperate with their sister organisations in the other four states. Their activities are overseen by FIORC as detailed below.
Five Eyes Intelligence BriefingS
The various heads of the different intelligence services meet regularly and in secret. Collective Intelligence briefings for the executive leaders of the Five Eyes are held less frequently and can be in-person or online.
Five Eyes intelligence briefing and discussion 2018
Ongoing Intergovernmental Liasion
Although intelligence cooperation between the five Sentinal states has received the most attention, in fact there is consistent intergovernmental liaison and coperation across a range of policy areas. This has occured over some twenty years and involves working parties of ministers and parallel liasion interaction between civil servants of all five states.
The Sentinel States cooperate at a ministerial level through a variety of intergovernmental standing bodies that are constitued on an informal basis. These Five Country Ministerial meetings are regularly held in person and via web-based platforms. Five Country Ministerial meetings are not resticted to one set of five ministers, but are constituted across different departments. The various Five Country Ministerial meetings ensure ongoing coordination and the exchange of policy ideas between the relevant departments in each of the five Sentinel States. For example, these include areas outside of defence such as Law, Electoral systems, Finance, Immigration and Foreign Policy and are attended by Ministers from relevant departments.
These contacts have been ongoing since the 1990’s and have gradually intensified and expanded during the twenty-first century. On occasion, some policy areas have expanded to include the Republic Ireland in non-security related matters and the Netherlands with regard to global taxation and finance matters.
