UK Defense MinisterBen Wallacehas recognized this Monday that the British Army ‘has been left behind’ compared to those of other countries with which London can be compared, for which reason he has insisted on the need to higher investment.
These statements by Wallace to the British chain skynews They occur after the same chain advanced on the eve that an American general had transferred to the British minister himself that the Armed Forces of the islands they were no longer considered high-level.
In this context, Wallace has recognized the need for greater investment, although he has criticized the position of those who insist that the improvement of the United Kingdom’s weapons capabilities must be immediate, since “there is no magic bullet” for it.
“There are only two countries that can maintain almost constant production lines: China and the United States. Of course we can try to buy abroad, but then there wouldn’t be a UK aerospace and defense industry,” said the British Defense Minister.
The warnings of the mentioned American general have also reached the ears of the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunakwith which the Downing Street spokesman has come to the step to insist that the country has a “high level fighting force”.
“We are ensuring that our Armed Forces have the equipment and capacity they need to face tomorrow’s threats”, the spokesman for the ‘premier’ clarified, referring at this point to an arms and defense project valued at £242 billion -more than 275,600 million euros- for ten years.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has motivated major European powers such as France or Germanyto approve plans for the significant increase in defense spending. The United Kingdom has not yet moved along this line, although it plans to update defense spending before the spring budget.
former prime minister Boris Johnson increased defense spending to £16bn in 2020 -more than 18,220 million euros-, the highest budget since the Cold War. Now, Sunak is resisting raising the budget for the army to 3% of GDP by 2030, a promise made by his predecessor, Liz Truss.
In July 2022, Patrick Sanderswho had just been appointed chief of the British army, had said that Britain must have an army capable of fighting in Europe and defeating Russia: “I am the first Chief of Staff since 1941 to take command of the Army in the shadow of a land war in Europe involving a continental power”.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine underscores our primary purpose: protect the UK by being ready to fight and win wars on land.”
(With information from EP and Reuters)
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Source-www.infobae.com