The United States and Great Britain have had a “special relationship” since World War II. Winston Churchill used the term "special relationship" to refer to the military, political and financial support that has existed between the United States and Great Britain since their partnership in World War II. The special relationship continues in the United States and Britain in four main ways: military involvement, security, economics and trade. Both the United States and the United Kingdom feared the Soviet threat and the spread of communism in Europe, so military ties between the United States and the United Kingdom were strengthened. In 1946, the American and British air forces reached “an agreement to continue their wartime partnership in manpower, strategy, equipment, and investigation” (Baylis 1977, p. 70). Also in 1947, “a new agreement was also concluded on an extension of cooperation in the framework of exchanges of officers for training purposes” (Baylis 1977, p.70). The United States and the United Kingdom also had shared access to each other's military information. Since World War II, the United States has played an important role in ensuring the security and protection of the United Kingdom. The United States maintained large numbers of troops in Europe throughout the post-World War II era, when economically overwhelmed countries faced the risk of the Soviet Union. By keeping troops in Europe, this helped reduce the UK's military costs (Baylis 1984). Furthermore, US military support continued after the Cold War, with 11,000 US troops still in Britain until 2005. Additionally, the UK participates in the US ballistic defense program (Dumbrell 2006) and the two countries work together in the field of ballistic defense. nuclear defense. The development of nuclear weapons was the result of strong teamwork between the United States and the United Kingdom. With the McMahon Act and the creation of the Mutual Defense Agreement of 1958, the United Kingdom gained...... middle of paper ......umbrell, J. (2000) A Special Relationship. Anglo-American relations during and after the Cold War. 2nd edition. London: Macmillan.Gardner, R. (2001) “The Marshall Plan fifty years later: three what ifs and a when”, in Schain, M. (ed.) The Marshall Plan: fifty years later. New York: Palgrave, p.119-129. Leigh-Pippard, H. (1995) Congress and American military aid to Britain: interdependence and dependence, 1949-56. 1st edition. Basingstoke: Macmillan. Ovendale, R. (1998) Anglo-American Relations in the Twentieth Century. 1st edition. Basingstoke: Macmillan.Raymond, R. (2006) 'Anglo-American economic and trade relations: a British perspective', in McCausland, JD and Stuart DT (eds) American-British Relations in the Early 21st Century. Strategic Studies Institute [Online.] Available at: http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/ (Accessed: January 27 2014).