"Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton reportedly told the prime minister that an MoD assessment made last year showed a 28bn shortfall between now and 2030."
"The UK defence budget is rising to record levels as this government delivers the biggest boost to defence spending since the Cold War, totalling 270bn this parliament alone. Demands on defence are rising, with growing Russian aggression, increasing operational requirements and preparations for a Ukraine deployment. We are working flat out on the defence investment plan, which will fix the outdated, overcommitted, and underfunded defence programme we inherited."
"Knighton took over as chief of the defence staff in September and is responsible for the delivery of the strategic defence review published in June, as the UK has pledged to boost defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027."
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton warned of a 28bn MoD funding shortfall between now and 2030 based on a recent assessment. The prime minister, chancellor and defence secretary held a meeting ahead of Christmas where the gap was raised. The potential shortfall prompted an order to overhaul the Defence Investment Plan, which has been delayed since an expected autumn publication. The Defence Investment Plan will set out how the strategic defence review is to be delivered. The UK has pledged to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 and to 3% in the next parliament when conditions allow. The MoD says the defence budget is rising to record levels, totalling 270bn this parliament, and is working to fix an outdated, overcommitted, and underfunded programme.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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