Britain’s armed forces will have to “dial back” training and operations if they do not receive more cash than is currently being offered, the chief of the defence staff has warned. Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton told the Lords International Relations and Defence Committee on Tuesday morning that the government’s Defence Investment Plan (DIP) did not include enough funding to support “day-to-day activities” in the short term.
His warning came days after John Healey resigned as defence secretary last week, claiming the proposed cash settlement “would reduce the readiness of our Forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations”. In a Commons statement on Tuesday, Healey said his resignation had been “necessary in securing the future of Britain’s armed forces and our alliances”. “My decision last week was about our country, not career,” he told MPs. In a swipe at Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who he has said was “unwilling” to provide adequate funds to meet the threats facing the nation, Healey warned that “our adversaries do not follow timetables set by the Treasury”.
“UK defence chief warns forces must cut training and operations without more cash from Treasury”
The government has committed to increasing defence spending to 3.5% of national income by 2035, in line with Nato allies. But the DIP was due to be published last week and has been delayed further following Healey’s resignation. Healey has said No 10 and the Treasury were prepared to commit around £10bn in additional funding over the next four years, around £18bn less than what military chiefs have reportedly asked for.
New Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis is currently reviewing how the money will be spent, but there has been no suggestion from No 10 that extra cash will be found. Healey says the UK needs to be spending 3% of gross domestic product on defence by 2030. In his resignation statement, he told MPs: “At this dangerous time, I see the current defence investment plans falling well short of what is required, a rise at 0.08% from next year to 2030, no date for reaching 3%, no path to 3.5%. By 2030, well over half of Nato members will be spending 3% or more. And when allies are looking for British leadership, we must not fall behind.”
In his scathing resignation letter, Healey warned that the 10-year DIP plan “backloaded” spending increases, when the need “to speed up readiness to fight is in the first two years”. Sir Richard Knighton echoed Healey’s concerns, saying: “The thing that I’m most concerned about is the level of day-to-day activity funding, the resource departmental expenditure limit, because that funds operational activity and drives exercises and training.” The question remains whether the Treasury will find extra cash — or whether Britain’s forces will be forced to scale back.