UK launches armed forces review after NATO summit

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds a press conference at the end of the NATO 75th anniversary summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC on July 11, 2024. (AFP)

• The review, which will be headed by former defense secretary and NATO secretary general George Robertson, will “ensure a ‘NATO-first’ policy is at the heart of Britain’s defense plans”

LONDON: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer — just back from a NATO summit — launched on Tuesday a review of Britain’s armed forces to set out a path to increasing defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP.
The ministry of defense said the “Strategic Defense Review” would begin work “immediately in recognition of the urgency of the threats facing the UK,” and aim to deliver a report in the first half of 2025.
Launched less than two weeks after coming to power, prioritising the review is the government’s response to Conservative Party efforts to cast doubts about Labour’s commitment to defense.
During the election campaign, popular attack lines from the Tories included Starmer’s lack of timeframe for increasing defense spending and claims that Labour was a “danger” to national security.
At last week’s NATO summit in Washington, Starmer reaffirmed the UK’s support for the Western military alliance and its “serious commitment” to spending 2.5 percent of its GDP on defense.
The review, which will be headed by former defense secretary and NATO secretary general George Robertson, will “ensure a ‘NATO-first’ policy is at the heart of Britain’s defense plans.”
Starmer said the review would make sure “that defense spending is responsibly increased.”
It will be overseen by current defense secretary John Healey, who said “at the start of a new era for Britain, we need a new era for defense.”
“The Review will ensure that Defense is central to the future security of Britain and to its economic growth and prosperity,” Healey added.
The defense secretary had urged NATO to consider moving toward a 2.5 percent goal at the 75th anniversary summit last week, with NATO allies having committed in 2014 to reach a 2-percent goal.
Other specific aims of the review include “bolstering Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression” and to “modernize and maintain the nuclear deterrent.”
Starmer at the summit recommitted to £3 billion ($3.9 billion) a year of military support for Ukraine until 2030-31.