A member of 40 Commando UK Royal Marines seen on exercise Musandam Fort 2022 in Oman. (UK MoD)
BELFAST — British defense spending will increase by £5 billion ($6 billion) over the next two years to replenish ammunition of stocks supplied to Ukraine, modernize nuclear capabilities and fund the next phase of AUKUS submarines, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced today.
Sunak’s spending pledge falls under the Integrated Review Refresh (IRR) 2023, a national defense strategy update commissioned to incorporate lessons learned from the war in Ukraine and redefine how the UK should deal with the threat of China. The document is set to be unveiled publicly for the first time in Parliament Monday, when more details are expected to be made public.
Sunak announced the “ramp up” in investment “to meet the challenges of an increasingly volatile and complex world,” said the UK Ministry of Defence in a IRR preview released to media today.
The additional funding of $6 billion is less than half the amount UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace had apparently requested, according to Sky News, but his department said he welcomed it in a statement.
“The Defence Secretary is delighted with the settlement, especially in these economically challenging times,” explained the MoD. “The Prime Minister has continued his support from 2020, where record sums were invested in defence and is determined to show Europe-wide leadership.”
Despite the previous Conservative Party government pledging to increase military spending to 3 percent GDP by 2030, Sunak stopped short of making any such commitment and has deferred a new defense spending review until after 202 ..
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