The British Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement on the 19th that Johnson will announce an increase of 16.5 billion pounds of defense budget in his parliamentary speech that day.
According to Reuters, British Prime Minister Johnson will make a preliminary assessment of Britain’s foreign and defense policies over the past 30 years in a parliamentary speech on the 19th, and will announce an increase of 16.5 billion pounds in defense budget over the next four years.
The statement of the British Prime Minister’s Office stated that this is “the largest defense investment project in 30 years.” Currently, the UK’s annual defense budget is approximately £42 billion.
Johnson said in the statement: “I made the decision to increase the defense budget under the pressure of Coronavirus Pandemic crisis because I must put the defense of the country first.”
“The international situation is more dangerous than at any time since the end of the Cold War.
The competition becomes more fierce. Britain must face history squarely and stand by our allies. In order to achieve this, we need to comprehensively upgrade our capabilities.” Johnson said.
According to the report, Johnson pointed out that increasing the defense budget will consolidate Britain’s position as the largest defense spending country in Europe and NATO’s second largest defense spending country.
The United Kingdom will also increase investment in areas such as networks and space. In addition, Johnson will also announce the establishment of a new agency to promote the development of artificial intelligence, the formation of a national cyber force, and the establishment of a new “Space Command.”
According to previous reports, the United Kingdom officially withdrew from the European Union on January 31 this year, and has entered a transitional period for Brexit, which will end on December 31, 2020.
