UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace Pledges To 'Fight For As Much Money As He Can Get' For The Military

 

The Telegraph: Three per cent defence spending target an ‘aspiration’, admits Ben Wallace 

Ben Wallace told MPs he would be “fighting for as much money as I can get” for defence in a crunch meeting with the Chancellor on Thursday, as he admitted that previous pledges to spend three per cent of national income were only an “aspiration”. 

The Defence Secretary denied he had threatened to resign if he failed to get a commitment from Jeremy Hunt to increase defence spending as a share of GDP. Appearing before MPs, he pointed out that it was the Chancellor himself who called for the three per cent target to be met as part of his leadership bid this summer.  

Read more ....  

Update: Wallace calls hefty UK defense budget hikes ‘aspirational’ (Defense News).

WNU Editor: After today's announcement by the Bank of England that the country is in a recession (link here), I doubt that UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace is going to get the defense budget that he wants.

British Government Wants More Drones And Special Forces To Combat The Islamic State

Daily Mail: Cameron vows to ramp up the fight against ISIS to 'destroy the fanatical extremist state at its source'

* PM says a review of military spending will boost UK's anti-terror firepower
* Claims extra kit will ensure UK can 'destroy fanatical extremist state'
* Defended record fighting ISIS, but added: 'I'm clear we need to do more'

Britain needs to do more to 'destroy' ISIS in Iraq and Syria, David Cameron admitted today as he set out plans to boost spending on the SAS to fight the fanatics on the ground.

The Prime Minister said an upcoming review of military spending would be used to boost the military's ability to fight Islamist terror.

Speaking to RAF officers and airmen at RAF Coningsby today, Mr Cameron said he needed to 'make sure that Britain, with her allies, can destroy the fanatical Isil extremist state in Iraq and Syria.'

He defended the Government's record fighting ISIS, but added: 'I'm absolutely clear we need to do more.'

More News On British Defense Spending And It's Priorities

Britain's Special Forces will be increased ahead of fresh assault on Isil -- The Telegraph
Cameron Seeks More U.K. Investment in Drones, Special Forces -- Bloomberg
PM: More Drone And SAS Missions To Fight IS -- SKY News
SAS ordered to step up war on Islamic State terror and crush it -- Express
Cameron to focus defence spending more on militant risk -- Reuters
UK Defense Budget: David Cameron To Push For More Drones, Special Forces -- IBTimes
Cameron Urges British Military to Spend More to Tackle ISIS -- NYT

Budget Problems Continue For Britain's Ministry of Defense

Cost Of Britain’s Military Programmes Soars £500m In Just A Year ‘Due To Wasteful MoD Chiefs’ -- Daily Mail

* 15 procurement projects have overspend of £6.1billion
* £42billion black hold in Ministry of Defence budget

The cost of Britain’s biggest military programmes has soared by £500million in a year because ‘wasteful’ defence chiefs failed to ‘live within their means’.

A withering Commons report today finds that 15 crucial procurement projects are £6.1billion - or 11.4 per cent - over budget.

The spiralling bill for new equipment, including ‘hunter-killer’ submarines, fighter jets, aircraft carriers and transport planes, is revealed as the Armed Forces are ordered to make crippling cuts.

Read more ....

My Comment: You would think that after massive budget cuts the MoD would get it's act together. Sighhhh ... apparently not.

As Predicted, More Cuts To The British Military

Ministry Of Defence Faces £2 Billion More Cuts -- The Telegraph

The cash-strapped Ministry of Defence is facing a further £2 billion of budget cuts over the next 12 months.

The new measures will come close to eradicating a £38 billion "black hole" in the MoD's finances blamed by ministers on massive over-spending under Labour.

It is also understood that Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, will announce next month that the MoD is finally back in budget after one of the most controversial periods of defence cutting in recent history.

The cuts will form part of "Planning Round 12" which will outline the department's spending proposals for the next 12 months.

Read more ....

My Comment: I predicted only a few days ago that the next run of budget cuts would start again later this year. Hmmm .... it seems that I was a bit optimistic on that prediction

Britain's Tank Development Program Is A Total Waste Of Money

A British Challanger 2 tank Photo: AP Photo/Dan Chung

MoD Spent £1 Billion On Tank Programme Which Produced No Vehicles -- The Telegraph

More than £1billion was spent by officials at the Ministry of Defence on a tank and personnel carrier programme that failed to deliver a single vehicle, MPs say today.

MPs on the Public Accounts Committee blamed the Treasury for raiding the MoD’s budget for the vehicles, effectively hobbling the programme.

They castigated the MoD for the “extraordinary failure” which meant that the department had “nothing to show” for its £1billion of spending.

Since 1998 the MoD has attempted to acquire tanks, reconnaissance vehicles and personnel-carriers through a number of different procurement projects.

Read more ....

More News On Britain's Ministry of Defense Armor Procurement Disaster

MPs say MoD's army vehicle spending was 'failure' -- BBC
MoD 'stripped billions from core budget but failed to deliver right equipment' -- The Guardian
Defence ministers accused of wasting millions -- Financial Times
£1.1bn MoD vehicle spend criticised -- Press Association
Britain's Ministry Of Defence Spent $1.6 Billion On Absolutely Nothing -- Business Insider
MoD spends £1.1billion on armoured vehicles plan - but fails to buy a single one -- Mirror.co.uk
After 13 years and £1.1 billion, MoD fails to deliver armoured vehicles -- Supply Management
Ministry Of Defence Wasted £1.1bn On Undelivered Armoured Vehicles -- Huffington Post

My Comment: With such a development/procurement disaster, it is then not a surprise to read this .... U.K. budget cutters have slashed $15B from armor programs.

Who Is To Blame For Britain's Defense Cutbacks

Defence Secretary Liam Fox has been accused of undermining the military covenant after scrapping a £1.5bn programme to upgrade decaying barracks. The Telegraph

Fox Says Ex-MoD Chiefs Partly To Blame As Job Cuts Loom -- BBC

The defence secretary says former senior military and MoD figures are partly to blame for £5bn budget cuts leading to defence force job losses.

Some 1,020 Royal Navy personnel have been hearing they are being made redundant as cuts continue.

Liam Fox told the Guardian the MoD had "consistently dug a hole for itself".

Former navy chief Admiral Lord West said the military had been cut to a "dangerously low capability" but it was "no good blaming things in the past".

Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said Mr Fox had to take responsibility for his actions.

Read more ....

Update #1: Liam Fox in row with military brass over financial problems -- The Telegraph
Update #2: Liam Fox says MoD has to accept share of blame for depth of cuts -- The Guardian

My Comment: Opponents to Liam Fox do not agree.


Update: The Guardian editorializes on this issue.

Will British Defense Cuts Lead To The Lost Of The Falklands?

Boost UK Defence Spending Or Lose The Falklands, Warn Military Grandees -- The Guardian

Report by ex-armed forces chiefs call for 50% rise in military spending to offset potential threats

The UK needs to pour billions more into defence spending to counter future threats if the country is to avoid "expensive and possibly catastrophic mistakes" caused by under-funding, a report warns.

One of the report's authors said the Falkland Islands are a "plum ripe for the picking" should Argentina, with the support of its ally China, choose to contest British claims to sovereignty.

Read more ....

My Comment: For the British government .... the budget crisis is a far more important issue than security for the Falklands. Losing the Falklands is a risk that they are willing to take.

Britain Will Never Again Be A Military Superpower

British Army Will Never Again Be Among Military Superpowers, Report Claims -- The Guardian

Thinktank says cuts and Trident plan will leave black hole in finances, but UK will still be able to assist in operations like Libya

Britain's shrinking military will "never again be among the global superpowers" but will have enough capability to assist in operations such as Libya and Afghanistan in the future, a study said on Tuesday.

However, the MoD's finances will be capsized and its resources further diminished unless there is a substantial increase in defence spending to cover the "looming" costs of the replacement for the Trident nuclear deterrent.

Read more ....

More News On The British Military And It's Budget Crisis

British military will never again be among superpowers: report -- Global Post
UK will 'never again' be a superpower -- Defence Management
UK's days as global military superpower all but over: Study -- Newstrack India
New multi-billion black hole risk for MoD as cost of military equipment spirals -- Daily Mail
U.K. Sees Light at End of Budget Black Hole -- Defense News

WNU Editor: The complete report from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) on the British military can be found here.

More Mismanagement Revealed At Britain's Ministry Of Defense

MPs Alarmed By 'Missing' £6.3bn Defence Assets -- BBC

MPs say an auditor's report which found the Ministry of Defence lost track of assets worth £6.3bn is "alarming".

The defence select committee said it was "worrying" that in its efforts to find out more information the MoD had just found more problems.

The MoD was accused of losing track of assets which included £184m worth of Bowman battlefield radios.

Defence Secretary Liam Fox said he had set out plans for clearer structures and financial responsibility.

Read more ....

My Comment: A billion here, a billion there .... who cares anymore.

British Military Needs More Cash To Fight Future Wars

Photo from British Forces News

Army Chief: Britain's Ability To Fight Wars At Risk Unless More Cash Is Invested In Defence -- The Daily Mail

Britain's ability to fight wars such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan will be threatened within a decade unless ministers put more cash into defence, the head of the Army warned yesterday.

In a thinly-veiled appeal for recent defence cuts to be reversed, General Sir Peter Wall said the Army would ‘require a real-terms growth [in spending] in the latter part of the decade’ – or face serious decline.

Read more ....

My Comment: They will need more than money if this trend continues.

Will The U.S. Military Face The Same Defense Cuts As Britain's?

Britain's Defense Cuts: A Grim Portent for the U.S. Military? -- Time Magazine

Even before the British Defense Ministry this week elected to scrap the Royal Navy's only fixed-wing aircraft carrier, nobody imagined that Britannia still ruled the waves — or had any of the power that characterized its empire before the two world wars of the last century. Still, as recently as a decade ago, Britain could take solace in its "special relationship" with the sole surviving superpower, earning pride of place among U.S. allies with its readiness to commit substantial numbers of troops to Washington's expeditionary military ventures. Sure, the 46,000 troops the British sent to Iraq for the U.S.-led invasion equalled around one-third of the American force, but the U.S. military was almost 10 times larger than Britain's. In Afghanistan, also, the U.K. committed a force equivalent to one third of the U.S. deployment. Still, in both cases, Britain's contribution dwarfed that of other NATO allies.

Read more ....

More News On UK Defense Budget Cuts

Pentagon says military cuts won't sideline Britain -- Reuters
Big British defense cuts weaken Pentagon's top military partner -- Christian Science Monitor
Foreign Policy: Goodbye To Britain's Defense Budget -- NPR
Why the U.S. needs to be more like Britain -- Shadow Government/Foreign Policy
Hillary Clinton is Right to Warn the UK Over Defense Cuts -- Huffington Post opinion
A Leaner, Meaner British Military -- Foreign Policy opinion
Defence cuts don't go deep enough -- Guardian opinion

U.K. Defense Cuts -- News Roundup

A quarter of the civilian posts at the Ministry of Defence will be cut over the next five years Photo: Alex Segre / Alamy

Defence Review: Cameron Unveils Armed Forces Cuts -- BBC News

Harrier jump jets, the Navy's flagship HMS Ark Royal and planned Nimrod spy planes are to be axed and 42,000 MoD and armed forces jobs cut by 2015.

Unveiling the strategic defence review, PM David Cameron said defence spending would fall by 8% over four years.

The RAF and navy will lose 5,000 jobs each, the Army 7,000 and the Ministry of Defence 25,000 civilian staff.

Axing the Harrier and Ark Royal means no planes will be able to fly from British aircraft carriers until 2019.

Read more ....

More News U.K. Defense Cuts

UK Strategic Defence and Security Review [PDF] -- Complete Report

FACTBOX-Britain's Strategic Defence Spending Review - details -- Reuters
Britain plans sweeping military cutbacks to close budget gap -- L.A. Times
Britain announces major military cutbacks -- Washington Post
U.K. cuts defense spending, projects -- UPI
Britain Cuts Defense Spending -- Voice of America
UK Publishes Strategic Defence and Security Review -- Defpro
Lots of Losers in U.K. Defense Review -- Defense News

U.K. to Postpone Trident Modernization -- Global Security Newswire
Defence review: £3.6billion Nimrod programme scrapped -- The Telegraph
UK to spend £650m on new National Cyber Security Programme -- Info Security
Defence review: security services to receive extra funds for terror attacks -- The Telegraph

U.K. Defense Cuts a Death Knell for Smaller Defense Firms -- Wall Street Journal
Industry seeks more clarity on cuts -- Financial Times
Companies Affected by U.K. Defense Cuts -- Wall Street Journal
UK defence firms can absorb military spending cuts -- BBC

What does the spending review mean for security policy? -- BBC
Defence review: Can Britain still pack a punch? -- The Telegraph
Britain’s Biggest Security Threat -- Newsweek
UK military 'still first rate', says US -- Defense Management
British Forces: Still Punching Above Their Weight? -- Time Magazine
Defense Review: Painful, but not fatal -- The Economist
UK Cuts Preview For US: CSIS -- DoD Buzz

The British Government Drastically Slashes It's Defense Budget. Carrier Fleet Hit the Hardest

Scrapped: HMS Ark Royal will be hit by the cuts which will also hit the Navy's Harrier aircraft

HMS Ark Royal Scrapped, Trident Delayed (And No Planes To Fly On Our New Carriers For 10 Years) - Cameron Wields The Axe In Defence Review -- The Daily Mail

* Ark Royal and Harrier jump jets scrapped immediately
* UK to have no working aircraft carrier for a decade
* Army to lose 7,000 troops, RAF 5,000 and Navy 4,000
* Trident renewal delayed for five years, saving £750m
* Cameron insists: 'We'll still be front rank military power'
* Angry Harrier pilot challenges him about job losses

The Royal Navy's flagship aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal and its fleet of Harrier jets is to be scrapped 'with immediate effect', leaving Britain without any fully operating aircraft carriers for a decade.

Under the Strategic Defence and Security Review to be outlined by David Cameron this afternoon, the iconic carrier and the aircraft that won the Falklands War will be retired.

The renewal of Trident will also be delayed by at least five years with a final decision on replacing the submarine-launched nuclear deterrent postponed until after 2015, saving £750million.

Read more ....

More News On UK Defense Cuts

UK To Scrap F-35Bs, Cut 16K Troops -- DoD Buzz
Navy aircraft carrier will be sold after three years - and never carry jets -- The Telegraph
Defence cuts: French and US jets to use British Navy aircraft carriers -- The Telegraph
Carriers 'will take US and French jets' -- Defense Budget
Defence review: HMS Ark Royal to be scrapped -- BBC
Navy aircraft carriers not operational for 26 years -- The Telegraph
Britain scraps flagship in defence review -- Syney Morning Herald
Defence review: Carriers saved, Trident put off -- Politics.co.uk
Defence cuts about 'correct balance', says Liam Fox -- BBC
Navy's £5bn aircraft carrier conundrum -- BBC
Defence cuts: David Cameron attacked by Royal Navy Harrier pilot -- The Telegraph
The coalition's carrier trouble -- Peter Hoskin, Spectator
Aircraft carrier strategy 'incoherent' -- The Independent

After Spending And Budget Cuts, The UK MIlitary Will Be A Shell Of What It Once Was

Under threat: The number of Navy frigates could be cut while those scheduled to be built could fall from 18 to six

Military 'To Be Left Toothless By Cuts': Warning Of Carriers With No Jets In Fight For Funds -- The Daily Mail

The Armed Forces could be stripped of the ability to launch amphibious attacks and be left with aircraft carriers that don’t have any jets.

They could also face a cut in the number of frigates, it emerged last night.

Senior defence sources revealed that the forces will be left with a ‘severe capability gap’ unless the Treasury finds more money to fund the Strategic Defence Review.

Read more ....

More News On The Impact Of U.K.'s Defense Budget Cuts

Spending Review: what it means for Defence -- The Telegraph
Defence cuts to be known next week -- Metro.co.uk
Officials aim for October 19 military review date -- Reuters
Government to unveil security strategy before defence cuts -- Reuters

David Cameron appoints battle hardened Marine to advise on defence: the first PM to employ a military assistant since Churchill in WWII -- The Daily Mail
David Cameron appoints personal military adviser -- The Telegraph
Cameron Appoints New U.K. Military Adviser After Clash With Fox on Budget -- Bloomberg

UK military official warns of air vulnerability -- AP
RAF cuts 'could make Britain's air space vulnerable to attack' -- The Telegraph
Aircraft carriers 'will be spared' in defence review -- Politics.co.uk
Navy to get aircraft carriers despite defence cuts -- The Guardian
Forces' big guns wait to see winners and losers in the battle of the budgets -- The Guardian
Scientists push nuke cuts - October 13, 2010 -- Nature
Scientists call for defence cuts -- BBC

U.K. Defense Budget News Updates -- October 7, 2010

British troops board a Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan. (Photo: Christopher Pledger)

Uncertain Future For UK's Amphibious Forces -- BBC

Amphibious forces have played a major role in British military operations for centuries. Now there are fears the Royal Navy could lose much of that capability, as the National Security Council meets to review the country's defence strategy.

On a cloudless day on calm seas off the western coast of Scotland, HMS Albion is an imposing sight.

She was last seen rescuing stranded civilians and troops trying to return home from Afghanistan during the volcanic ash crisis.

Read more ....

More News On The UK's Defense Program

Defence summit fails to agree cuts -- Press Association
U.K. National Security Council Meets to Agree on Cuts in Military Spending -- Bloomberg
Navy fury at 'underhand' Army tactics in defence review -- The Telegraph
Aircraft carrier orders likely to survive -- Financial Times
A blueprint for defence that saves money and keeps Britain secure -- The Telegraph
David Cameron on defence: we're still waiting for some direction -- The Telegraph

In Leaked Letter To The Press UK Defense Secretary Warns Against Defense Cuts In A Time Of War

Britain’s Defense Secretary Liam Fox arrives at the Ministry of Defence in London. Reuters

Liam Fox: Defence Cuts Will Have 'Grave Consequences' -- The Telegraph

“Draconian” cuts to defence spending cannot be carried out while the country is at war without “grave consequences” for the Government, Dr Liam Fox has warned the Prime Minister.

In a private letter to David Cameron seen by The Daily Telegraph, the Defence Secretary refuses to back any substantial reduction in the Armed Forces.

He says it risks seriously damaging troops’ morale.

Read more ....

More News On Liam Fox's Comments On Defense Cuts

Liam Fox warns cuts will have 'grave consequences' -- BBC
Improving national security must come before cost cutting -- The Daily Mail
Minister Liam Fox warns defence cuts could have 'grave consequences' in leaked letter to PM -- Daily Record
Liam Fox letter: Government 'in chaos' over defence cuts, says Bob Ainsworth -- The Telegraph
Liam Fox letter: police search MoD after leak -- The telegraph
Military police search MoD HQ after leaking of Liam Fox letter -- The Guardian
Fox Disinclined to Take Easy Route of Resignation -- Wall Street Journal

My Comment: Liam Fox is right .... it is foolhardy to commit your soldiers to fight a war while at the same time you are cutting the defense budget to support such a conflict.

But I suspect that David Cameron has prioritized saving money and slashing the unsustainable deficit for the government is more important than supporting the Department of Defense.

Criticism Of U.K. Defense Cuts Is Increasing

Defence Cuts 'Could Leave Us Unable To Fight A War', Say MPs -- The Daily Mail

Britain's ability to carry out military operations is at risk because of Government plans to take an axe to the defence budget, a scathing report warns today.

A powerful group of MPs says that current missions, including the war in Afghanistan, would be threatened if ministers made cuts of up to 20 per cent at the Ministry of Defence.

The Commons' Defence Select Committee expresses concern that the Strategic Defence and Security review is being carried out so quickly that 'serious mistakes' will be made.

Read more ....

More News On UK Defense Cuts

Speed of defence review 'could put operations at risk' -- BBC
Defence cuts could put military operations at risk, MPs warn -- The Guardian
Legislators Criticize U.K. Defense Review -- Wall Street Journal
Cuts may endanger military capability - defence report -- Reuters
Defence review too hasty, say MPs -- The Telegraph
Cameron defends defence review -- Press Association

U.K.Defense Budget Is Under The Scalpel. How Much To Cut?

Britain's Defence Review: Defending The Realm -- The Economist

Britain’s overstretched defence budget should be cut—but not in the ferocious way being contemplated.

ONLY America among Western countries has been more willing than Britain to put its armed forces in harm’s way. After America, Britain is by some distance the second largest contributor in both troops and treasure to the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan. Yet the previous Labour government was reluctant to increase the defence budget in line with its grandiose ambitions—and now the coalition government is set to cut it. Defence spending can indeed be trimmed—but less quickly and deeply than that of many other departments.

Read more ....

My Comment: These have the potential to be dangerous cuts .... but with financial problems and huge deficits the priority .... I doubt that the politicians care.

Sharp Defense Cuts Proposed (And Coming) For The Birtish Military

Trident nuclear submarine HMS Vengeance at Faslane. Photograph: Murdo Macleod

Britain Considers Slimmer Military, Less Top Brass -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Britain's defence secretary outlined plans on Friday for a leaner, more de-centralised Defence Ministry in a drive to cut costs that may include a cull of senior military staff.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is conducting a spending review expected to usher in a budget cut of up to 20 percent, part of government plans to reduce the budget deficit and safeguard Britain's ability to borrow cheaply.

Britain is conducting a wide-ranging strategic defence review, looking at its role in the world and what military capabilities it will need to deal with future threats.

Read more ....

More News On The U.K. Defense Budget And Impeding Cuts

U.K. Defence Secretary Vows to Overhaul MoD -- Defense News
UK defense chief plans cuts, major changes -- AP
MoD's forced cuts could prove a blessing -- The Telegraph
Defence backroom operations to be slimmed down -- AFP
Fox to remodel modern major generals -- Financial Times
Senior military chiefs 'facing axe' -- Press Association
Top officers face axe in 'leaner' MoD -- The Independent
British officer corps to be cut back -- Financial Times
London to reduce fighter jet numbers -- UPI
Helicopters to be scrapped amid defence spending cuts -- The Telegraph
Helicopters face 20% cuts to make £4bn defence savings as Fox reopens Trident row -- The Daily Mail
Fox Says Debate Over Trident Nuclear Deterrent Underway After Cabinet Rift -- Bloomberg
Liam Fox reopens Trident budget row with George Osborne -- The Guardian

More Leaks On Britain's Ongoing Defense Review

Proposals Would Shrink British Military To Size Medium -- Defense Tech

More leaks from Britain’s ongoing defense review, part of a dramatic shrinking of the public sector by the new Conservative-led coalition government. The Daily Telegraph got hold of “detailed proposals” that include slashing the RAF’s fighter fleet to fewer than 200 planes, cutting two nuclear submarines, three amphibious ships and an armored brigade. Total military personnel losses under the government’s new austerity plan are put at 16,000.

Read more ....

Previous Post: British Government Proposals Will Shrink The RAF To World War One Levels

My Comment: I suspect that these leaks are true .... and it is a means for the MoD to prepare the public and those who serve in the Ministry of Defense on what is coming down.