London – The United Kingdom will build new nuclear attack submarines, prepare its army to fight a war in Europe and will become “a nation dressed in armor”, ready for battle. ” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday, part of An impulse to military spending Designed to send a message to Moscow, and Washington.
Starmer said that Great Britain “cannot ignore the threat that Russia represents” while committing to undertake the most radical changes in the defenses of Great Britain since the collapse of the Soviet Union more than three decades ago.
“The threat we face is more serious, more immediate and more unpredictable than at any time from the Cold War,” Starmer told workers and journalists from a Marine shipyard in Scotland.
Like other NATO members, the United Kingdom has re -evaluated its defense expense from The large -scale invasion of Russia of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Government announced military plans in response to a strategic defense review commissioned by Starmer and directed by George Robertson, former Secretary of Defense of the United Kingdom and NATO general secretary. It is the first review of this type since 2021, and lands in a world shaped and transformed by The large -scale invasion of Russia of Ukraine in 2022, and for the re -election of President Donald Trump last year.
Months after the last defense review of Great Britain was published in 2021, then Prime Minister Boris Johnson said with confidence that the era of “fighting great tanks battles in the mass of European land” is over. Three months later, the Russian tanks arrived in Ukraine.
The Labor Party Government of the Starmer Center Labor Center says that it will accept the 62 recommendations made in the review, with the aim of helping the United Kingdom to face the growing threats in the earth, the sea and cyberspace.
The measures include the increase in the production of submarines and weapons and “learn the lessons of Ukraine”, which has quickly developed its drone technology to counteract the forces of Moscow and Even hitting the objectives at the bottom of Russia.
The Government said that the United Kingdom will also establish a cyber command to counteract “daily” attacks linked to Russia against the defenses of Great Britain.
Monday’s ads include building nuclear submarines and with nuclear proposition, conventionally armed, under the Aukus association with Australia and the United States. The Government also says that it will invest 15 billion pounds in the Nuclear Arsenal of Great Britain, which consists of missiles taken to a handful of submarines. It is likely that the details of these plans are kept secret.
The Government will also increase conventional Britain weapons reserves with up to 7,000 long -range weapons built by the United Kingdom.
Starmer said Rearming would create a “defense dividend” of thousands of well -paid manufacturing jobs, a contrast to the “dividend of peace” after the cold war that saw Western nations channel money away from defense towards other areas.
The Secretary of Defense, John Healey, said the changes would send “a message to Moscow”, and transform the country’s army after decades of reduction, although he said he does not expect the number of soldiers, currently in a minimum of two centuries, increase until the early 2030s.
Healey said plans to Defense expenditure to reach 2.5% of national income by 2027 per year are “on the way” and that there are “no doubt” that will reach 3% before 2034.
Starmer said that the 3% objective is an “ambition”, instead of a firm promise, and it is not clear where you will find money with money. The Government has already reduced, in the opponent, the spending of international aid to achieve the objective of 2.5%.
Starmer said he would not make a firm promise until he knew “precisely where the money comes from.”
Even 3% does not reach what some NATO leaders think it is needed to deter Russia from future attacks against their neighbors. Born Chief Mark Rutte says that the leaders of the 32 member countries will discuss the commitment to spend at least 3.5% of GDP in defense when they meet in the Netherlands this month.
It is also a message for Trump that Europe is paying attention to its demand for NATO members to spend more on their own defense.
European countries, led by the United Kingdom and France, have rushed to coordinate their defense position as Trump transforms US foreign policyapparently on Europe side while seeking to end the war in Ukraine. Trump has a lot of time questioned the value from NATO and complained that the United States provides security to European countries that do not achieve their weight.
Starmer said his government would make “Great Britain’s greatest contribution to NATO since its creation.”
“We’ll never fight alone,” he said. “Our defense policy will always be from NATO.”
James Cartlidge, spokesman for the defense of the main conservative party of the opposition, welcomed more money for defense, but was skeptical of the 3% promise of the government,
“All promises of strategic work defense review will be taken with a pinch of salt unless they can demonstrate that there will actually be enough money to pay them,” he said.
