November 21 According to the BBC Britain will increase its defense spending by 10% in the next four years, investing a total of 16.5 billion pounds ($21.9 billion) to upgrade equipment and improve military capabilities.
British Prime Minister Johnson said recently that this is “a once-in-generation modernization” and is necessary to expand British influence.
Johnson said that the four-year investment in defense is to protect the public, protect a large number of jobs, and create 40,000 jobs.
Subsequently, Ben Wallace, the British Defense Secretary, said on BBC that the increase in defense investment is to update Britain’s “obsolete” equipment and improve the next generation of capabilities. He said that Britain’s opponents in other parts of the world have better equipment and attack capabilities.
The Royal Joint Services Institute (RUSI), a British think tank, said that “the increase in investment means that the annual defense budget increases by 10-15% in real terms, which is equivalent to an additional investment of about £4 billion a year”.
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British Prime Minister Johnson promised to stop cutting the defense budget and said that he would protect Britain’s supply routes, increase Britain’s nuclear deterrence capabilities, restore Britain’s status as “Europe’s first maritime power”, and “rejuvenate Britain’s shipbuilding industry”.
Defense Secretary Wallace also stressed that Britain’s “abandon outdated capabilities” requires increased investment. In particular, he pointed out that more funds will be invested in areas such as electronic warfare, electronic intelligence and “long-range strikes”.
The British Prime Minister mentioned that cybersecurity agencies have played an important role in counter-terrorism, organized crime and hostile countries. Wallace also said that the establishment of a national network force on the existing basis will invest the increased budget in space wars and new institutions dedicated to the development of future artificial intelligence capabilities.
BBC defense reporter Jonathan Beale believes that Britain’s new defense budget will be invested in robotics and autonomous systems to deal with threats from space and networks.
The biggest increase after the cold war
Wallace said that between now and 2024, Britain will invest an additional £4 billion in defense. This will be the largest increase in defense spending since the cold war.
The British Defense Secretary said that the world is more dangerous and the competition is more fierce, so priority should be given to defense. He said, “After the cold war, the international situation has become more dangerous and the competition has become more fierce. Britain must be loyal to its history and unite closely with its allies. To achieve this, we need to improve our capabilities overseas.”
However, the article of the Royal Institute of Allied Armies believes that “ambiguous foreign policy goals are not clear enough” and it seems that it will not need to be clarified until the full comprehensive review of the New Year is released. In addition, the Ministry of Defense will face great pressure to ensure that ambitious goals are achieved with existing resources.
BBC defense reporter Jonathan Biele said that although the government broke through Treasury restrictions and increased defense funding, the defense ministry still has a gap of £13 billion in its equipment budget.
The UK’s defense budget accounts for 2.1%-2.85% of GDP, second only to the United States among NATO members.
