Britain relocates defense spending to "military rails"

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today announced the biggest boost to national defense in a generation, with plans to increase the defense budget to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2030.

He stated this during a visit to Poland with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Rishi Sunak said that now is a turning point in European security and called on NATO members to step up their efforts.

Following today's announcement, UK defense spending will increase immediately and then rise steadily to reach £87 billion by the end of the decade, representing 2.5% of GDP by 2030.

"We will put the defense industry of Great Britain on military rails. One of the main lessons of the war in Ukraine is that we need deeper stockpiles of ammunition and for industry to be able to replenish them more quickly," explained Rishi Sunak.

Speaking about innovations, the British Prime Minister gave an example of the successful actions of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, which, with the help of high-tech, autonomous, and relatively inexpensive drones, were able to disable a significant part of Russia's Black Sea fleet.

The British government's plan calls for an investment of at least £10 billion over the next decade in ammunition production and will ensure a rapid build-up of production capacity and ammunition stocks.

It also talks about modernizing the armed forces: a radical reform of defense procurement and the creation of a new Defense Innovation Agency to ensure the UK is at the forefront of modern military technology, with at least 5% of the defense budget going to research and development.

Support for Ukraine's defense remains one of the priorities. As part of the plan, the government will allocate an extra £500 million this year for the ammunition, air defense, and drones Ukraine needs.

There is also an obligation to maintain the existing level of support for Ukraine as long as it is needed.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 24/04/2024