Special relationship? Where do the Brits rank with regard to our alliance in comparison to other countries?

 I've been getting pushback on my little blog post about the Brits saying they have a carrier but the US actually owning it.

In my mind it brings up a bigger issue.

We supposedly have a special relationship with the Brits but is it a one way street?

By that I mean do they even have enough combat power to be relevant or would their participation simply be a bit of marketing to a possibly skeptical world?

Let's look at Europe.  Where do the Brits stand when it comes to combat power? I tried to make a list but after France and the Poles I was lost.  Needless to say the Brits weren't in the top 3 spots.

What about in the Pacific?  Again I'd have to rank Australia as higher than the Brits.  S. Korea and Japan too.

My point is this.

It might be a bitter pill to swallow and God knows I don't want Think Defence or Drummond's hate but on what are we basing this "special relationship"? From the outside looking in and I hope I'm wrong but the Brits are a RAPIDLY declining military power.

Convince me I'm wrong!