Britain to Cut Training and Operations in Military, Despite Promising to Increase Defense Readiness

It’s easy to promise the moon, even when you can’t deliver a pebble. 

The UK, which talks a good game about dramatically increasing defense spending to 3.5% by the middle of the next decade, but the current budget proposal puts off the increases well into the future. Between now and 2030, the government’s share of GDP is projected to rise from 2.6% to 2.68%. In other words, hardly at all. 

Mañana, as they say in Mexico. This, despite all the tough talk from Keir Starmer and the gang about the rush to prepare for war with Russia and decouple from the United States. 

Even Starmer’s own Defence Minister has had enough. He resigned, along with another MP who quit in frustration.

‘I resigned from job I love for our country’ says ex-Defence Secretary https://t.co/OlJfVdlAwv via @DailyMail

— Steve Grant (@SteveGrant67) June 16, 2026

The former Defence Secretary John Healey has said he quit for ‘our country’ after refusing Sir Keir Starmer’s cash offer for the Armed Forces.

In his resignation speech in the Commons, Healey told MPs he had ‘loved’ his job but believed his decision was ‘necessary in securing the future’ of the UK’s military.

Healey left the Ministry of Defence last week after Sir Keir backed Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ offer of only £10billion in new funding for the Armed Forces – despite the growing threat to UK security posed by Russia.

According to Mr Healey, the government’s Defence Investment Plan (DIP) will put Britain in greater jeopardy and will increase the threat to troops.

Healey’s harrowing assessment of the funding settlement was backed earlier today when the head of the UK’s Armed Forces gave evidence to a parliamentary committee.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton told the House of Lords’ International Relations and Defence Committee that fewer military operations would be possible based on the funding settlement backed by the PM.

While UK defence spending has risen from 2.3 per cent of GDP to 2.6 per cent of GDP since the last General Election, the current level of investment falls far short of national security requirements.

Since the end of the Cold War, the UK has basically demilitarized to the point where it is incapable of deploying ships on demand. It’s not quite true that the UK doesn’t have a military; it’s closer to the truth that it doesn’t have a military capable of operating outside its shores. 

In 1990 – at the end of the Cold War – the army had 153,000 regular soldiers in its ranks, this is now down to 73,790.

The 2025 SDR recommended that the British Army’s regular force should not drop below 73,000.

In its latest update, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the number of people applying to enlist in the regular army had fallen by around 40% in 2025 compared to 2024.

Since 1990, the number of reservists has fallen from 76,000 to 25,770.

In 1990, the Royal Navy had 48 major combat ships (13 destroyers, 35 frigates).

That has dropped to seven frigates and six destroyers.

There has been criticism of the Navy’s readiness after it took weeks to deploy a single ship – HMS Dragon – to the Gulf to help protect an Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Cyprus.

In 1990, the RAF had over 300 combat jets.

Now, with 107 of the newer model Eurofighter Typhoons and at least 37 Joint Strike Fighter F-35 Lightning II in service, it has far fewer, though they are technically superior.

Uncrewed aircraft systems, also known as drones, now form an element of the UK’s military air capabilities. These did not exist in 1990.

The threat from drones has been highlighted in the Ukraine conflict where they now kill more people than traditional artillery.

Analysts say the UK needs to invest considerably more in this military technology.

I’m pretty sure that the British Navy could still win at Trafalgar, though, so that’s good. On the other hand, its nuclear deterrent relies on missiles that America owns and maintains. Decouple that, Starmer. 

John Healey wasn’t blowing smoke when he said Britain’s military can’t survive on the proposed budget. The Defence Chief echoed Healey’s warning, saying that the current allocations do not even sustain the current operations of the British military. 

UK forces face operational cuts without more cash, defence chief warns https://t.co/OBTcBKWjHi

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) June 16, 2026

For all the brave talk about the urgency of Europe rearming, actions don’t come close to matching the rhetoric. While the budget proposal in the UK is a nominal, if small, increase, in the real world, Britain is going backward, with massive spending increases promised post-2030. 

In his scathing resignation letter last week, Healey warned that the 10-year DIP plan “backloaded” spending increases, when the need “to speed up readiness to fight is in the first two years”.

Sir Richard Knighton echoed Healey’s concerns in evidence to the Lords International Relations and Defence Committee on Tuesday morning.

“The thing that I’m most concerned about is the level of day-to-day activity funding, the resource departmental expenditure limit, because that funds operational activity and drives exercises and training,” he told peers.

“Those are the things that make sure the men and women of our armed forces are as ready as they can be with the equipment that they have got today, and without changes to the settlement, as John Healey set out, then those areas will come under pressure.”

This is Euroschlerosis in action. Lots of fancy talk, but action at the speed of a bureaucracy doing environmental impact statements. Massive promises matched by…nothing other than bureaucratic speak. 

Currently, Britain can’t even deploy as many as 1000 troops to Europe if necessary, which tells you about the state of the British Army. 

Just in case you missed it – this is the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff failing to confirm that the British Army could deploy 1000 troops to the continent of Europe. pic.twitter.com/GnyvLfiJjY

— Mike Martin MP 🔸 (@ThreshedThought) April 10, 2026

Still, the UK has one thing going for it: its police department is ready, willing, and able to arrest any Briton who complains about open borders and massive illegal migration. Perhaps they can extend their efforts to shutting people up when they openly express worry that the military is falling apart. 

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