UK to increase defense spending due to threats from the Russian Federation and China
13 March, 2023 Challenger 2 tanks of the British military.
2022. Photo credits: NATO The UK will ramp up investment in defence to meet the new security challenges.
The government of the United Kingdom reported about this. An additional GBP5 (about £6 billion) billion will be provided to the Ministry of Defence over the next two years. This is due to the need to respond to new threats from Russia and China, particularly in view of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that an additional GBP5 billion will be provided to the Ministry of Defence over the next two years, to help replenish and bolster vital ammunition stocks, modernise the UK's nuclear enterprise and fund the next phase of the AUKUS submarine programme.
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak
The increase in the military budget will be reflected in the updated version of the Integrated Review of Security, Defense, Development and Foreign Policy of the United Kingdom, which will be published on 13 March.
The Astute-class Anson submarine on February 19, 2023. Photo credits: UK Ministry of Defence
An additional GBP5bn would increase defense spending to 2.25% of GDP by 2025, up from 2% in 2020.
Soldiers of the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom. Photo from open sources
The United Kingdom's defense spending in 2021-2022 amounted to GBP71.4 billion.
As previously reported, the British Army has only 157 Challenger 2 tanks available for operations. The service previously reported 227 Challenger 2 tanks in service, but did not specify how many of them are in combat readiness. In February, the British military approved the final version of the upgraded Challenger 2 main battle tank to the Challenger 3 version.
This means that the design of the combat vehicle has been agreed and the production of the first prototypes of these tanks will now begin.
Challenger 3 tank. Photo credits: British Army
Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) will perform the work.
The agreement with the company was signed back in 2021, its value is GBP800 million (that is, more than one billion US dollars). This contract involves upgrading 148 main battle tanks for the British Army from 2027. Ben Wallace, Minister of Defense of the United Kingdom announced that the defense industry of Great Britain was increasing weapon production to replenish the stockpiles of the British military and to help Ukraine.
Specifically, this regards increasing artillery shell production.
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