UK should consider raising defence spending, says US navy secretary26 Jan 2024 07:20
Https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/jan/25/uk-should-consider-raising-defence-spending-says-us-navy-secretary
Britain should be prepared to review the size of its armed forces given the crisis in the Middle East and the threats from Russia and China, a member of the Biden administration has said during a visit to London.
Carlos Del Toro, the US navy secretary, said the UK needed to consider more investment in its navy and reinforcing the army
Although US leaders often call for European countries to increase their defence spending, pointed comments about the UK military are rare because of the closeness of the two countries’ military relationship.
Del Toro, speaking at the Royal United Services Institute, said the UK had to make a “decision around whether the army needs to be strengthened” and said that the conflict in the Red Sea demonstrated the need for further spending to protect commercial shipping.
“I would argue quite frankly that, given the near-term threats to the UK and the US, then investments in their [the UK’s] navy are significantly important.” That would “ensure that we have this free flow of trade” which “the economy of the United States, allies and partners can mutually benefit from”.
Any decision to spend more on the UK armed forces would be a matter for the British government, Del Toro said, but “we in the United States have continued to make significant investments in our national security” amid economic challenges.
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