Stars and Stripes reports that “Britain’s referendum Thursday on whether to leave the European Union could potentially have damaging security implications for the United States and its allies if a majority votes to leave, analysts warn.”  

“The departure of Britain from the EU could further fray European unity, already tested over the past few years by the debt crisis in Greece and the current influx of migrants and refugees. That could have a ripple effect on the U.S.-led NATO alliance, dealing a blow to two institutions that serve as a collective counterweight to adversary Russia, experts say.”  

“’It is significant to note that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has made no secret of his preference for the U.K. to leave the EU — a position unlikely to be driven by deep sympathy with British concerns about immigration,’ said Walter B. Slocombe in an Atlantic Council report analyzing the pending referendum in Britain. ‘Rather, Putin surely expects that the strains among European states and within NATO and the EU would open opportunities for Russian exploitation.’”