Britain’s military needs an extra £20billion a year to “confront the many threats” it faces, the former head of the Army has warned.
General Sir Peter Wall says funding needs to rise from 2% of GDP to 3% – from £40bn to £60bn – to keep the country a “credible player on the world stage”.
Former Chief of the General Staff Sir Peter spoke about our relationship with our global allies.
He said it is important “from America’s perspective that Britain has the resources to make it a credible player on the world stage and a worthwhile ally.
There is a compelling argument in favour of defence and security spending being raised to 3% of GDP.”
The cash will ensure the Armed Forces are “properly supplied with the equipment and manpower they need to confront the threats we are likely to face”.
Sir Peter said of two new Royal Navy aircraft carriers that cost over £6bn: “They will lack credibility if they do not have sufficient numbers of combat aircraft and support vessels to make them operationally effective”.
