Great Britain increases the defense budget and sends a message to Russia: NPR

London-the United Kingdom will build up new nuclear poweres, prepare its army, to wage a war in Europe and become “a fighting, arms dressed nation”, said Prime Minister Keir Starrer on Monday, part of a thrust of military spending to send a message to Moscow and Washington.

Sagler said that Great Britain “cannot ignore the threat that Russia represents” when he promised to make the British defense changes since the collapse of the Soviet Union more than three decades ago.

“The threat with which we are exposed is more serious, immediate and unpredictable than at some point since the Cold War,” Starrer told the workers and journalists at a Marine yard in Scotland.

A new era of threats

As with other NATO members, Great Britain has re-evaluated its defense spending since the full invasion of Russia in February 2022.

The government announced military plans in response to a military plans commissioned by Starrer and commissioned by George Robertson, former British Defense Minister and NATO general secretary. It is the first such review since 2021 and ends up in a world that was shaken and changed by the Russian war in Ukraine and the re -election of President Donald Trump last year.

Months after the publication of the last major defense check in Great Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson then confidently said that the era of “fight against large armored battles against European land mass” was over. Three months later, Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine.

The government of Starrer’s left-wing party Party says that it will accept all 62 recommendations in the review to help the United Kingdom confront the growing threats ashore, Air Sea and in cyberspace.

U -boats and weapons

The measures include the increasing production of u -boats and weapons and “learn the teachings of Ukraine”, which quickly developed its drone technology to counteract Moscow and even hit the goals deep in Russia.

The government said that Great Britain would invest in innovation and set up a cyber command to counter “daily” Russia attacks on the defense of Britain.

Further measures are:

-Aban construction of “up to 12” nuclear-powered, conventional armed submarines as part of the Aukus partnership with Australia and the USA

– Invest £ 15 billion (20.3 billion US dollars) in the nuclear arsenal in Great Britain, which consists of rockets

-increase in the conventional gun trees in Great Britain with six new ammunition factories and long -distance weapons built in Great Britain

– Development of new air and land drones as well as a “hybrid marine” of autonomous ships and occupation ships

– commit 1 billion pounds for air defense in Great Britain

-E home to protect the critical national infrastructure as part of a “total approach” of the defense “. According to the sitcom from the Second World War, a” father army “was quickly referred to

According to Starrer, Hackming would create a “defense dividend” of thousands of well-paid manufacturing jobs-a contrast to the “peace dividend” after the Cold War, in which western nations went out money to other areas.

The deterrent of Russia is associated with costs

Defense Minister John Healey said that the changes would send “a message to Moscow” and change the country’s military after decades of cuts, although he said that he did not expect the number of soldiers’ time at a low of two centuries of around 74,000 to the early 2030s.

HELEY said that plans for defense expenditure to reach 2.5% of national income by 2027 per year are “on the right track” and that it will “undoubtedly” reach 3% before 2034.

But Starrer said that the 3% goal was more of a “ambition” than a fixed promise, and it is unclear where the money of money will find the money. The government has already continuously reduced international aid expenses in order to achieve the target of 2.5%.

James Cartlidge, defense spokesman for the conservative opposition opposition party, said: “A defense evaluation without financing is an empty wish list.”

Even 3% are not available, which some leaders in NATO believe to stop Russia from future attacks on its neighbors. According to Mark Rutte, head of NATO, the leaders of the 32 member countries will discuss the obligation to spend at least 3.5% of GDP for defense if they meet in the Netherlands this month.

Support for the defense of Europe

It is also a message to Trump that Europe observes its demand for NATO members to spend more for their own defense.

European countries, led by Great Britain and France, have tried to coordinate their defense attitude, since Trump changed American foreign policy and apparently dismissed Europe to end the war in Ukraine. Trump has long questioned NATO’s value and complained that the United States offers European countries that do not draw its weight.

Starrer said his government would make “Great Britain’s biggest contribution to NATO since her creation”.

“We will never fight alone,” he said. “Our defense policy will always be NATO.”

Matthew Savill, director of military science in defense Think Tank Rusi, said that in the review, “a vision was … about what the forces should look like in the future”, but there was no important details.

“This is a declaration of intent,” he said. “It’s not a street map.”