By Jessica Frank-Keyes
Britain risks no longer being NATO’s top military power in Europe, a think tank report has warned, in the midst of growing security issues.
The French military has more troops, jets and ships than the UK, despite spending £13bn less on defence, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) found.
France boasts 203,250 personnel compared with 150,350 in the UK, and can fire nuclear missiles from Rafale aircraft as well as submarines, while Britain relies solely on its U-boats.
It comes during a series of key defence summits, with NATO defence ministers gathering in Brussels earlier this week, and the Munich Security Conference taking place this weekend.
IISS researchers warned a real-terms cut to the UK’s £58bn defence budget is likely, due to high inflation rates, the Times reported, ahead of the budget unveiling next month.
It follows rising pressure on Sunak and chancellor Jeremy Hunt to bolster the military’s coffers, with defence secretary Ben Wallace and senior Tory MPs calling for up to £11bn.
While French president Emmanuel Macron has vowed to boost defence spending by a third.
However, weapons manufacturers could receive a shot in the arm as demand for supplies in eastern Europe grows, with a chance to boost “equipment commonality” on the continent, according to a yearly analysis of armies across the globe by the IISS.
Speaking at the launch of the Military Balance report, IISS director-general John Chipman said: “Western defence firms are facing the challenge and opportunity of replacing assets transferred to Ukraine while at the same time meeting changing military requirements.”
While today Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed Poland’s president Andrzej Duda to No10 where the pair discussed aid to Zelenskyy in Ukraine’s struggle against Putin.
Duda thanked Sunak for “your very, very, very clear support for Ukraine” and for backing Polish security against Russian aggression via the Sky Sabre air defence missile system.
During Duda’s visit, Sunak welcomed him to London and said: “I think there’s nothing that we are more united on than our staunch support for Ukraine… [we’ll talk about] what more we can both do to ensure that Ukraine wins this conflict.”
The government is expected to evaluate defence spending when its integrated foreign policy review is published next month.
Britain risks no longer being NATO’s top military power in Europe, a think tank report has warned, in the midst of growing security issues.
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