Articles about Defence

Treasury minister James Murray hits back at George Robertson’s criticism over military budgetUK politics live – latest updatesA Treasury minister has said balancing welfare and defence spending “is not a zero-sum game”, amid stark warnings that the UK will have to increase its military budget to ensure national security during global volatility.James Murray, the chancellor’s deputy, said the government was pushing ahead with the biggest sustained increase in defence investments since the cold war, but he would not say when it would publish its delayed defence investment plan. Continue reading...

With the army’s size halved since the cold war, UK ambitions to be globally deployable do not match the reality, experts say Middle East crisis – live updatesIf Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was a wake-up call for Nato, the war in the Gulf has brought some harsh realities home to the British public about the state of the UK’s armed forces.While air defence systems and fighter jets were already in place or deployed relatively swiftly, the time it took to send a single destroyer to Cyprus in the form of HMS Dragon focused minds on Britain’s military readiness and capabilities. Continue reading...

Fiona Hill, a former White House chief adviser, joins ex-Nato chief in criticising Starmer’s leadership on defenceUK politics live – latest updatesA co-author of Britain’s strategic defence review has joined criticism of Keir Starmer’s leadership on military policy, warning of a “bizarre” lack of urgency in defence planning.Fiona Hill, a former chief adviser to the White House on Russia, echoed the concerns of George Robertson, her co-author with Gen Richard Barrons on the strategic defence review (SDR), over what he had called the prime minister’s “corrosive complacency”. Continue reading...

George Robertson says the UK is in peril due to military underfunding, adding that Iran war should be wake-up callThe British government has shown a “corrosive complacency towards defence” and put the UK “in peril”, according to a government adviser, in fierce criticisms of Keir Starmer’s military policy.The former Nato secretary general and author of the government’s strategic defence review, George Robertson, believes Starmer was “not willing to make the necessary investment”, the Financial Times has reported. Continue reading...

Conservative leader promises biggest peacetime rearmament effort in UK history if her party is re-electedThe Conservatives would reinstate the two-child benefit cap and use the savings for a wide-ranging spending splurge on defence in what Kemi Badenoch said would be “the biggest peacetime programme of rearmament in our country’s history”.Speaking at a defence conference in London, the Tory leader criticised the government for Britain’s “lack of readiness” for war, which has been exposed by recent world events. Continue reading...

Use of UK military bases in Gulf region has been ‘invaluable’ to US military operation in IranMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesThe UK’s actions in the Gulf should be the basis for any US judgment of the country’s value rather than Donald Trump’s social media posts, the defence secretary has said.Speaking at a conference in London, John Healey said the UK’s recent efforts “spoke for themselves”, as Keir Starmer flew home after a trip that included discussing how to keep the strait of Hormuz open with Donald Trump, as well as meeting leaders in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Continue reading...

John Healey says warship and aircraft forced Russia to abandon activity in North Sea in month-long operationA British warship and aircraft tracked and monitored Russian submarines attempting to survey vital undersea infrastructure in the North Atlantic, ensuring they abandoned their mission, the defence secretary, John Healey, has announced.Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, Healey said the UK operation lasted more than a month and saw a Royal Navy warship and P8 marine patrol aircraft “track and to deter any malign activity” by three Russian submarines. Continue reading...

Information on drones and other threats being shared but defence chief confirms crew taking ‘active steps’ to only contribute to defensive actionsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian personnel operating a state-of-the-art surveillance plane are filtering information gleaned from the Middle East war to ensure intelligence is not shared with the United States for offensive purposes, the defence force chief says.As the federal government extended the deployment of the E-7 Wedgetail aircraft on Thursday, the chief of Defence, Admiral David Johnston, said the crew were taking active steps to only contribute to defensive operations. Continue reading...

Agreement comes after Wellington halted millions in aid to its former colony after Cook Islands formed strategic partnership with Beijing New Zealand and the Cook Islands have signed a defence and security declaration, ending a year-long diplomatic row that erupted after the Cook Islands struck strategic agreements with China.The Cook Islands was a dependent New Zealand colony from 1901-65 but has since operated as a self-governing nation in “free association” with New Zealand. Its roughly 17,000 citizens hold New Zealand citizenship. There are obligations between the two nations to regularly consult on matters of defence and security. Continue reading...

Lawyers for Liam Alexander Hall say the 32-year-old is undergoing treatment in custodyFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLawyers acting for Liam Alexander Hall, a 32-year-old man accused of attempting to bomb an Invasion Day rally in Perth, have foreshadowed a potential not guilty by insanity plea.Hall was scheduled to appear before magistrate Matthew Walton via video link from Western Australia’s most secure psychiatric facility on Tuesday, but did not. Instead the case was adjourned until May. Continue reading...

Malcolm Turnbull asks defence department official what Australia would do if the promised Virginia-class and Aukus-class submarines don’t arrive Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia will be left with no submarines if it abandons the Aukus deal with the US and UK, a senior defence official has warned, declining to publicly countenance an alternative plan if Australia’s promised nuclear-powered fleet does not arrive under Australian command.“Defence has been directed to pursue Aukus and we are pursuing Aukus and that’s our plan. I would not venture into the space about ‘Plan B’ or ‘Plan C’,” defence department deputy secretary, Hugh Jeffrey, told a Sovereignty and Security Forum in Canberra on Friday. Continue reading...

Industry groups say delay to defence investment plan (DIP) leaving UK behind in global race for fundingDefence manufacturers are going bust while others have been left in “paralysis” and “bleeding cash” as they wait for a long-delayed UK military spending plan for the next decade, MPs have heard.Industry groups said that a more than six-month delay to the defence investment plan (DIP) has also left the UK behind Germany and the US in attracting cash from global investors. Continue reading...