Joe Porter
Councillor for Brown Edge and Endon
OUR Armed Forces represent the very best of Britain. That is why I was delighted to see the Prime Minister Boris Johnson announce the biggest investment in the UK’S Armed Forces since the end of the Cold War last week – an injection of £16.5 billion over four years.
Combined with the manifesto commitment of a 0.5% uplift, the total increase for Defence is a substantial £24.1 billion.
This will end an era of retreat and deliver a generational modernisation of the Armed Forces so they can defend our islands against future threats, while cementing Britain’s role as a leader in NATO and stimulating up to 10,000 of highly skilled jobs across the UK.
The investment in cyber and the aerospace industry will be a crucial cornerstone of the multiyear defence settlement as we enter the uncertain years ahead. The revitalisation of shipbuilding to fund a significant expansion of Royal Navy vessels is most welcome and will create the biggest surface fleet of modern warships in Europe.
In recent years, threats have gone beyond the traditional warfighting domains of air, land and sea and our adversaries have developed and weaponised a myriad of emerging technologies. That’s why the Government has committed an additional £1.5 billion into military research and announced a new agency dedicated to developing Artificial Intelligence, the creation of a National Cyber Force and a new ‘Space Command’ to protect the UK’S interests in space. This couldn’t be more important for equipping our Armed Forces with the tools to tackle the threats of tomorrow and make sure the UK can stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies across the globe.
Our hard-working men and women of the Armed Forces deserve nothing but our absolute respect for the service they give our country and that’s why it’s brilliant to see the Government prioritise their health and wellbeing, especially through the establishment of the Office for Veteran Affairs last year – the first government in the world to do so.
I was particularly pleased to see that Defence will continue to research, invest and adapt its equipment to become a greener and more sustainable industry. Next year the UK is hosting the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow and it’s important that Defence plays its part reducing the emissions footprint of our Armed Forces around the globe.
The number one duty of government is to protect its citizens and that is exactly what this package delivers. With the Defence budget increasing to 2.2% of GDP – the highest of any European country – it will also extend British influence as a force for good in the world.
Overall, this excellent news demonstrates the Prime Minister’s recognition of how important Defence is to our resilience, and to the reputation of the United Kingdom.
As the nation builds back better from the coronavirus pandemic, this is what will cement our place as a truly Global Britain.