The defence of this country should be the number one priority of any government, yet our Armed Forces are in a perilously dangerous state. We have reached crisis point because successive governments have not done enough to ensure the nation boasts a well-resourced military capability that is able to counter any threat in these ever-changing geo-political times.
It is not only dangerous, but utterly absurd, that the amount of money we spend on paying the interest on our national debt dwarfs the UK defence budget almost two-fold. Debt interest currently stands at £110.4billion, whilst this year the defence budget sits at £62.2billion.
And whilst Labour continues to scratch around to find more cash to pay off our ballooning debt interest due to exceeding their own self-imposed borrowing limits, the Armed Forces are in desperate need of more immediate funds, strategic future investment and politicians not scared to fly the flag for the defence of this nation.
This is by no-means a criticism of those that currently serve in the army, navy or air force and who are prepared to fight to defend this country. These men and women deserve all our gratitude. But there is something fundamentally wrong when you can fit all our full-time British Army personnel into Twickenham Stadium alone.
Former and current senior defence chiefs are now speaking out.
General Sir Richard Barrons, the former commander of joint forces command and a co-author of the recent Strategic Defence Review (SDR), told a conference at the Royal United Services Institute that the Ministry of Defence is “on its knees in some places”. There are also reports that the three heads of the Armed Forces have concerns about delivering the SDR findings and have agreed to write a letter to defence secretary John Healey saying that the review cannot be delivered on the current defence budget.
Writing a letter of this nature is unprecedented and is a serious indication of how desperate the situation is. These military chiefs will make the point that unless more cash is available, then further cuts will have to be made to personnel and military equipment.
This style of salami slicing our armed forces is unsustainable and puts the security of our country at risk. The SDR clearly outlines how we now face a more serious and less predictable threat than any time since the Cold War with growing Russian aggression, new nuclear risks and daily cyber-attacks.
Whilst identifying these new threats, which clearly demands a new era for UK Defence, the government says the SDR will make Britain safe – secure at home and strong abroad. These words might make a tasty soundbite, but they desperately need to be backed up by additional funding to address the fears of our military chiefs.
We know there are funding pledges in the pipeline following US President Donald Trump’s hectoring of fellow NATO members to up their game.
Consequently, the Prime Minister has now committed to increase defence spending to 2.5% of our Gross National Product (GDP) from April 2027, with an ‘ambition’ to reach 3% in the next parliament if economic conditions allow. Given Labour’s current disastrous economic track record, there is no guarantee this additional funding is in the bag.
It is hard not to conclude that we have our national priorities all wrong. Last week’s Budget saw more billions committed to welfare spending which for the current fiscal year sits at £330billion. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) predicts that will rise to £389.4billion in 2029/30.
We have ended up with a society that has prioritised welfare over defence and there is a real danger that past decisions by both Labour and Conservative politicians will come back to haunt us. The geo-political landscape can change quickly as we have seen with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing hostilities we face from China.
Too many governments have kicked the can of decent defence spending down the road. Our military chiefs are now issuing a cry for help, and the prime minister and defence secretary must listen to their concerns and act on them accordingly.
This will put them on a collision course with their more fragile and lefty backbenchers who will no doubt find the concept of further money spent on the military repellent, but it is a fight that must take place and be won. A fully capable and well-funded military should not be a luxury for our country, but a necessity, particularly in these uncertain times.
The defence and security of these islands is a fundamental responsibility of any government. Failure to fulfil this basic requirement is a total dereliction of duty.