Britain wants to strengthen its armed forces, which Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as empty. The new Labor government has therefore today appointed former British defense secretary and former NATO secretary-general George Robertson to lead their review. It is to issue a report on the state of the British armed forces in the first half of 2025.
Photo: SITA/AP, Benjamin Kremel
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (left) and former NATO chief George Robertson during a meeting at 10 Downing Street in London, July 16, 2024
Robertson was defense secretary in Tony Blair’s government in the late 1990s and headed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization from 1999 to 2003. Today, he said the armed forces must be combat-ready given the level of threats. Specifically, he warned against the “deadly quartet”, namely China, Iran, North Korea and Russia.
“We are faced with a deadly quartet of countries that are stepping up cooperation, and we in this country and the NATO alliance, which had such a successful meeting last week, have to be able to deal with that particular quartet, as well as other issues,” Robertson told British media.
Last week, a NATO summit was held in Washington, where its members, among other things, promised continued aid to Russia-attacked Ukraine and accused China of providing military equipment to Russia.
At the summit, Prime Minister Starmer reiterated his commitment to increase defense spending to 2.5 percent of UK GDP, although he did not specify when this would happen. Today, Starmer stated that the British armed forces are depleted and that he wants to increase defense spending responsibly to ensure the long-term resilience of the military.
Former adviser to US President Donald Trump Fiona Hill and retired British general Richard Barrons will also take part in the review of the state of the British armed forces.
Source: spravy.pravda.sk
