UK defence cuts will have profound effect, warns US diplomat
Proposed cuts in British defence spending could not come at a worse time, says former US ambassador to the UN
The vertical take-of aircraft, embodied by the Hawker Harrier fighter-bomber which was so effectively deployed during the Falklands conflict.
David Cameron has refused to make a formal commitment to maintain defence spending at the 2 per cent of GDP level Photo: REX
Con Coughlin
By Con Coughlin, Defence Editor
9:41PM BST 05 Apr 2015
One of America’s leading diplomats has said he finds cuts to British defence spending “extremely troubling” and has called on the next government to spend two per cent of GDP on the military.
John Bolton, the former US ambassador to the UN and a leading Republican spokesman on foreign affairs, said any further cuts in defence spending would make Britain “far more vulnerable militarily” and send a signal to potential enemies that “there is a diminished will in the West to defend itself”.
He warned that further cuts in defence expenditure could seriously affect future coalition operations with the US.
“The decline in British defence spending is extremely troubling,” Mr Bolton said in an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph. “It means Britain will be far more vulnerable militarily.
“A diminished UK military strength also has a more profound effect internationally because it is a sign to our mutual enemies that there is a diminished will in the West to defend itself. It sends an extremely negative signal to our enemies.”
A British Challanger 2 tank (AP)
At a time when the West faced growing threats from countries such as Russia and China, as well as Islamic State (Isil) militants in the Middle East, he said it was vital that Britain retained the military strength to participate in future coalition operations with the US.
“A significant military contribution from Britain is the foundation on which joint coalitions with the US and other allies are based,” he said. “At the very least we expect a future British government to meet the Nato benchmark of spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence.
“If...Britain is not able to participate in the way it has in the past, it sends a signal to others in Europe that they do not have to participate either.”
Last month General Raymond Odierno, the head of the US Army, told the Telegraph he was “very concerned” that recent defence cuts would severely limit Britain’s ability to participate in future coalition operations.
Nimrod spy plane (PA)
David Cameron has refused to make a formal commitment to maintain defence spending at the 2 per cent of GDP level required by Britain’s membership of Nato, despite making a plea for other European member states to meet the required level of funding at last September’s Nato summit in Wales.
Recent estimates suggest defence spending could fall to 1.7 per cent by the end of the decade. Mr Cameron has said he wants to see a real-terms increase in defence spending of around 1 per cent if he stays in power.
But in an article in the Telegraph, Mr Bolton calls on Britain and its allies to increase spending. “Cuts and proposed cuts in British defence spending could not come at a worse time, politically and militarily,” he writes.
“Rather than seeking ever-deeper military budget cuts, the UK – and the United States – should be planning on sharp increases in manpower, weapons systems, and information technology.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/11517548/UK-defence-cuts-will-have-profound-effect-warns-US-diplomat.html
