Katerina Chernovol23:29, 04/23/24
Sunak has pledged more money for defense spending over the next six years.
Rishi Sunak said that Britain’s defense industry is being transferred to a military footing / photo UNIAN (Viktor Kovalchuk)
The UK is putting its defense industry on a war footing. The country will also increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by the end of this decade.
This was announced by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at a joint briefing with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a visit to Poland, AP reports . He said it was “the biggest boost to our national defense in a generation.”
“In a world that is the most dangerous since the end of the Cold War, we cannot be complacent. When our adversaries unite, we must do more to protect our country, our interests and our values,” he said.
Sunak has pledged an extra £75 billion (more than $90 billion) in defense spending over the next six years.
“We will transform the UK’s own defense industry into a war footing. One of the main lessons from the war in Ukraine is that we need larger stocks of ammunition and that industry can replenish them faster,” the prime minister told British troops serving in the east. NATO front near Ukraine.
Official figures show Britain’s defense spending last year was around £55.5 billion (more than $69 billion). This is approximately 2.07% of the UK’s GDP, putting the UK ahead of countries such as France and Germany, but behind Poland, the US, Estonia and others.
UK and Ukraine
The UK is one of the largest aid donors to our country. The other day she announced the largest package of military assistance to Ukraine in its history .
It is known that it will include 60 boats, including sea raid vessels and diving boats, as well as naval guns, more than 1,600 strike and anti-aircraft missiles, and additional Storm Shadow long-range precision missiles.
In addition, Ukraine will receive more than 400 vehicles, in particular 160 protected mobile vehicles “Husky”, 162 armored vehicles and 78 all-terrain vehicles. About 4 million rounds of small arms ammunition will also be provided.
(C)UNIAN 2024
Apropos defence industry, Canadian manufacturer Roshel has an interesting proposal for the German 400 vehicle MRAP vehicle contract:
“Roshel Offers to Replace Failed German Contract for Armored Vehicles in Ukraine”
https://mil.in.ua/en/news/roshel-offers-to-replace-failed-german-contract-for-armored-vehicles-in-ukraine/
That makes a lot of sense! Mine protection classification problem solved, lower price, a new production line – what’s not to like? I just think that the factory shouldn’t be build in Germany, but better Ukraine. We have a labor shortage, they don’t. This depends on more air defence systems being delivered, to protect that production, though. 🤔
The UK has been a very strong financial and military supporter of Ukraine and has sent significant types and volumes of military equipment to Ukraine unlike many of the other countries of Europe who could well afford to do so (Italy, Spain, Turkey, and yes even Germany and France to name just a few).
However this statement by the UK Prime Minister is ludicrous. After more than two years of Russian atrocities and full out war in Ukraine, the UK is going to a “WAR FOOTING” as demonstrated by their plan that maybe just maybe in six years they might be spending 2.5% of their GDP on defense????
Is this meant to be a sick joke?
The nations of western Europe are so decadent that they refuse to take their own security seriously let alone the moral necessity of defending against naked Russian aggression and invasion of other democracies. They obviously still think the patsy US taxpayer will continue to defend them for essentially free as we have for generations. To protect their expensive bloated social programs they will continue to grossly underfund their militaries.
Whether Biden is re-elected or not their 30 year free ride is over. The bankrupt US will more than have its hands full just trying to contain the growing power of China in the Pacific and will have no resources left over to defend a rich, self centered, grossly unappreciative, and decadent western Europe.
@Fed Up
There are a lot of errors in your speech…
we sense your political vision of the world and you see yourself more beautiful and more generous than you really are. First of all, security is not just weapons and your system produces its own monsters (inside-outside), and has its own selfishness. you are not more virtuous than Europe – only more powerful militarily. As an empire you have your dark side. we also reap what we sow. Europe is not a federation of the same people.
Indeed, the EU cannot depend on a country which has elections every 4 years and be at the mercy of both its internal politics, and of someone who has another vision of the world, who makes other calculations. we can’t share everything and say amen to all your projects/visions. we are not even sure that we will remain a democracy for much longer!
Europe perhaps has an old population like all democratic countries today…
She does not roll her thumbs, even if there is inertia which is specific to democratic systems. every medal has its other side. the EU will soon produce 2 million shells but there are real bottlenecks such as powder production for example.
who brought down the USSR without precaution?
who took nuclear weapons away from Ukraine?
who did the reset with poutine?
Who created today’s China?
who took Iran out of nuclear control?
who messed with Rocketman?
be a little modest, everyone pays for other people’s errors…
corrections:
we are not even sure that you will remain a democracy for much longer!
By the way, I forgot the Iraqi adventure of Bush junior in the list…
and
slava Ukraini 😉