Michael Fallon: Britain should increase NATO commitment amid threats
Written by News on 03/10/2017
Sir Michael Fallon has signalled the UK should increase its NATO defence spending commitment above the minimum 2% of GDP.
The UK is one of only six countries from NATO’s twenty nine members to spend the requisite 2%.
Speaking exclusively to Sky News, the Defence Secretary said: "The threats to our country are intensifying.
"The 2% is a minimum commitment by NATO members. We’ve committed to meeting it at the moment… But we are reviewing the threats to our country which have intensified over the last few years so we do need to be sure that we have the resources we need so we should aim to do better.
"The PM is 100% on my page. She understands the threats very well to this country. She has been rock solid in helping us address them."
Mr Fallon wouldn’t put a figure on what proportion of GDP he thinks defence spending should rise to, nor would he lay down a timetable – but this will be seen as an opening attempt to win over Downing Street ahead of the autumn budget.
Currently the UK spends around £35 billion on defence – that’s 2% of the country’s GDP. That figure is doubted by some, however – last year the respected think tank IISS claimed Britain fell just short of the figure.
The United States, Greece, Estonia and Poland have all spent NATO’S requisite 2%.
President Trump has threatened to remove US support for European countries that don’t increase their defence spending, saying that they can’t rely on America to pick up the bill.
Mr Trump has described 2% of GDP as "a bare minimum" and the new US Ambassador to the UK, Woody Johnson, used his first interview to say Britain must decide "whether it is enough".
The UK Government is currently conducting a national security review after the summer terrorist attacks and an increasingly assertive Russia – further job cuts are widely expected in the military as a result of that process.
That prospect has been further compounded by a weaker pound following the Brexit vote – many of the UK’s big ticket equipment purchases are now more expensive because they are priced in dollars.
The Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach has dismissed talk of cuts, instead saying there will be "adjustments".
In a rare briefing with Defence Correspondents last week, he refused to be drawn on the size of the budget, instead saying "2% is what the Government has given us".
Mr Fallon will need to convince both the Prime Minister and the Chancellor who, as Defence Secretary, oversaw massive cuts to the budget after the 2010 security review.
(c) Sky News 2017: Michael Fallon: Britain should increase NATO commitment amid threats
