U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveils £5 billion additional defence spending during his visit to the U.S.
"Let's Talk About Some Serious Sh*t!"
Rishi Sunak has promised a whopping £5 billion boost in defense spending over the next two years to tackle emerging threats from hostile nations. This funding will be authorized in a new UK international and security strategy to be unveiled on Monday.
The announcement comes before the leader's talks with his US and Australian counterparts in California, where they'll discuss the details of a UK-US deal to supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. This agreement, known as the Aukus pact, was signed in 2021 as part of cooperation to counteract Chinese military power in the Indo-Pacific region.
Reports suggest Australia might opt for a modified version of the British Astute-class submarine, while taking delivery of up to five US Virginia-class submarines during the production phase.
The Downing Street revealed that £3 billion from the additional funds will be set aside for the Aukus pact, in addition to increasing industrial facilities and servicing UK submarines. The remaining £1.9 billion will be used to replace weapons sent to Ukraine and strengthen the UK's munitions infrastructure.
The new cash, £1.98 billion this year and £2.97 billion next year, will be spent assessing security spending again after 2025, with an aim to reach 2.5% of national income in the "longer term," No 10 stated, without setting a specific timeline.
Liz Truss, Sunak's former predecessor, had committed to spending 3% of GDP on defense by 2030, but the prime minister has backed away from that pledge.
The update, initiated by Ms. Truss in September 2021 in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, will measure the increased security threat posed by Moscow, as well as "increasingly concerning" military, financial, and diplomatic activity by China.
The paper will likely include additional funding for Mandarin language training and diplomatic knowledge on China, as well as a new strategy to ensure UK access to minerals crucial for new industries. It will also outline a new training curriculum for security officials, along with an MI5 unit to offer security advice to businesses and other organizations.
Speaking before the paper's release, Sunak stated that the increased defense spending would help the UK "stand our ground" in a more volatile world. "We have seen all too clearly in the past few years how international crises affect us at home, with Russia's appalling invasion of Ukraine raising energy and food prices," he said to reporters on the plane en route to the conference in the US.
He also announced he would officially welcome Biden to Northern Ireland next month to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
Sunak's trips to California and France come just two days apart and are seen as a demonstration of his ambition to be "active, open, and engaged on the global stage."
However, he faces challenges beyond the battle in Europe, in Ukraine, and an increasing recognition within government of the growing concerns surrounding China. Sunak told the BBC that Beijing presents "a defining challenge to the international order" and added that it was a "regime" that was "significantly tyrannical at home and assertive abroad."
This can seem like strong language.
But some Conservative MPs would like it to be stronger.
And there are concerns from others that the assurances being made about spending do not go far enough.
While Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has publicly welcomed the prime minister's announcement, he had hoped for considerably more.
Labour dismissed Sunak's promise, and said defense spending had not reached 2.5% of GDP since the party left power.
John Healey, the shadow defense secretary, said the Conservatives were "failing to secure Britain's long-term national security."
" The Tories destroyed the economy and sent inflation soaring, pushing defense budgets even further as threats to the UK increase," he stated.
The news, he added, would not address "reputation gaps" that weakened the UK's security and its contribution to the NATO security alliance.
Last Updated: 13 March 2023
Extra Insight:
- The increased defense spending is designed to help the UK "stand its ground" in a volatile world, addressing international crises like Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's growing assertiveness.
- The 2025 Strategic Defense Review (SDR) represents a significant and ambitious overhaul aimed at tackling the evolving global threat environment, especially from Russia and China.
- The Aukus pact with the United States and Australia is a cornerstone of the UK's Indo-Pacific strategy, aiming to counterbalance Chinese influence and military assertiveness in the region while reinforcing the UK's commitment to global security alongside its closest allies.
- The SDR emphasizes modernizing military capabilities and investing in a "high-low" force structure, combining traditional capabilities with cutting-edge technologies such as digitalization, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and multi-domain operational capabilities, to counter hybrid threats and maintain lethality in alignment with NATO’s “defense through deterrence” doctrine.
- Investment in defense is seen not only as a means of national security but also as a strategic economic lever to boost the defense industry and wider economic growth.
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64732294
- The recently announced £5 billion boost in defense spending is part of a new UK international and security strategy, intended to tackle emerging threats from hostile nations, particularly those in the Indo-Pacific region, where the Aukus pact with the US and Australia plays a significant role.
- The increase in funding for national security comes in response to the "increasingly concerning" military, financial, and diplomatic activity by China, as well as the security threat posed by Russia, following its invasion of Ukraine.
- In addition to the enhanced defense capabilities, the new strategy will include a focus on modernizing military capabilities using cutting-edge technologies such as digitalization, artificial intelligence, and autonomous systems.
- The economic impact of this increased defense spending is also being recognized, with its potential to boost the UK's defense industry and contribute to wider economic growth. However, some cast doubts on the adequacy of the spending commitments made, pointing to concerns surrounding China and the need for a stronger stance in the face of these challenges.
