The United Kingdom plans to modernize the nuclear shield to protect the country and other European allies with 12 new submarines, but will continue to depend on the United States and will not have these key works until the next decade. The recently published defense strategy defines the threat of Russia by Vladimir Putin as “direct and urgent”, but the British government admits that now it cannot compromise in order to reach a 2.5% military GDP in this legislative body.
The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said on Monday that the United Kingdom “cannot ignore the threat of Russia”, but avoided dedication to the date of 3% of GDP in defense asks the ministry and the Atlantic Alliance. NATO Secretary General, Mark Ruth, now asks for 5%, while the Donald Trump administration offers again and again, which will not protect Europeans.
The Starmer government repeats that he has “ambitions” in order to reach 3% of military spending in the next legislative body if it wins universal elections planned by 2029. Dropmer said that a firm commitment would consist in “fantastic policy” after the acceleration of rhythm and international growth declared in February.
The British army is at the lowest level of troops over 300 years, from the Napoleonic era, but the main goal of the government now is to arm their armed forces, drones, technologies for protection against cyber attacks and a more modern nuclear defense system, so they, according to Starmer, are “ready for battle”. According to the latest data, updated before April 1, the British armed forces now have 70,860 people. The aim of the government was not to go down from 73,000 people, and Starmer recognizes the concern for the state of his troops in the current context.
“Throughout Europe, and besides the fact that in defense and the safety of what has been over many, many years, there is a common feeling that there is more instability and security,” Starmer said in an interview in the morning on the BBC Radio 4 radio. “If you want to avoid conflict, it is best to prepare for conflict.”
“In the modern world, the first line is here. The threat that we now encounter is more serious, more direct and more unpredictable than at any time from the Cold War, ”he later said in a speech to the military shipyard in Glasgow. “We are faced with a war in Europe, new nuclear risks, daily cyber attacks, growing Russian aggression in our waters, threats in our sky …”
We are Mercedan submarines
The document on the recommendations over the next decade that the government has already been adopted includes the plan to spend 15,000 million pounds (more than 17,000 million euros) on the production of nuclear weapons for new submarines, which are the only way that now has the UK for potential launch. New submarines are part of a protective agreement that the UK signed with Australia and the United States at the end of the Biden administration, and the goal is that they are ready by the end of the 2030s.
The British government analyzes the opportunity to add combat aircraft to its nuclear deterrection system, although this will mean their purchase from the United States and continue depending on the unpredictable behavior of the government in accordance with the one who occupies the White House. In any case, the United Kingdom did not recover the plan for buying fighters from the absence of a budget, and this idea will increase one of the central problems of nuclear deterrence in Europe, which is the dependence of the United States.
The United Kingdom depends and will continue to depend on this plan of the United States until long ballistic missiles called Trident, which can be launched from submarines and other key components for the system.
In addition, the dependence on intelligence and military observation by the United States is almost complete, and from there, for example, the inability to represent a mission to guarantee a high fire in Ukraine, as Starmer and Macron want, without American support.
Relations with Washington are a problem specially designated for Europeans by the current White House tenant.
Fiona Hill, the former White House Council for Russia during the first mandate of Trump, and now a consultant to the British government, warned the danger of the US administration about the future of security in Europe. Hill, who is one of the authors, currently from the British defense report, emphasized in March the danger of a “true break between the United States and their allies” on the initiative of the United States and the proximity, which he saw in the front of Trump and Putin.
The absence of autonomy in relation to the United States is a problem for all European armies. “If they are not able to project power in their own area … By definition, these armed forces are not suitable for their goal,” he said in April in April Eldiario.es Keir Giles, defense expert and Russian army Similar center The British House Chatty and the author of the book about who will protect Europe.
French umbrella
Unlike France, the UK integrates into the NATO defense system and, therefore, has a more clear commitment to the protection of European allies, while the France system is not integrated into the Atlantic Alliance and protects its national autonomy.
France does not belong to the NATO nuclear planning group, key advice, and uses only French weapons. Given the uncertainty that Trump, President of France, Emmanuel Macron, suggested that the so -called French nuclear umbrella can be more clearly spread to European neighbors.
The dependence of the United Kingdom in relation to the United States, which is also worried about the French, is one of the explanations for which the government of Istanmer worked more than other Europeans with maintaining the relations of cordiality with Trump and resisted this in any circumstances.
The British set prefers the European Union as an ally as the protection of its country to the United States, according to the IPSOS survey with data in April. 43% of the adult population believe that defense costs should be increased, even if it means increasing taxes and reducing public services, and only a minority – 19% – believes that they should be reduced to a decrease in taxes or payment of other services.
According to the same survey, more than half of citizens – 55% – believe that their armed forces are ready to “defend the UK from the attack.” 31% say no. The level of trust in this extent fell by 17 points since September 2022.