- Ben Wallace accused governments of looting the defense budget since 1991
- He said reports that NATO asked Berlin to remain in charge of the rapid reaction force are “idiotic.”
Ben Wallace has called for returning to “proper investment in defence” as he criticized successive governments for “hollowing out” the military.
The Defense Secretary accused ministers of “raiding” his department’s budget since 1991 and said he faced an uphill fight to find more cash ahead of next month’s budget.
But he said he expected defense spending to have “turned the corner” after receiving an extra £16bn over four years in 2020.
He also called reports in German media about NATO asking Berlin to remain in charge of the alliance’s quick reaction force next year as “simply nonsense.”
The UK is due to take over leadership of the NATO Response Force (NRF) from Berlin at the end of the year, but German media have claimed that NATO asked Berlin to remain in charge due to the depletion of British resources. .
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace (pictured) has called for returning to “proper investment in defence” and criticized successive governments for “hollowing out” the military.
Speaking to the BBC, Wallace said: “The history of Germany is complete bullshit, isn’t it? I mean, to be honest, the simple reality is that the NATO leaders didn’t reach out to anyone. We’ll take over the NRF as planned.’
Speaking separately to Sky News, he said: ‘What we have seen since 1991, since the end of the Cold War, is a consistent and effective plundering of the defense budget over time. The problem is that it continued and has continued for too many decades as the threat increased… which is why Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, when chancellor, gave us an extra £16 billion in 2020.
“It was the first real pivot with real money instead of fantasy efficiency savings…and that has allowed us to begin modernizing our Armed Forces.”
Wallace now wants between £8bn and £11bn over the next two years, while officials want to increase the budget by up to a fifth to cover the costs of inflation, currency fluctuations and NATO funding and efforts in Ukraine.
The UK is due to take over leadership of the NATO Response Force (NRF) from Berlin at the end of the year, but German media have claimed that NATO asked Berlin to remain in charge due to the depletion of British resources. . Pictured: Ben Wallace (center) attends a meeting of NATO defense ministers with his counterparts at Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday.
But Treasury officials are resisting the demands, pointing out that MoD projects have failed to offer value for money.
But senior Conservatives warn that ministers have “stripped the army to the bone” and that a world-class army cannot be bought “on the cheap”.
Wallace denied yesterday that he would resign if he doesn’t get the funding he wants, adding: “It’s always an uphill battle with the Treasury, no matter what department you’re in. Of course, between now and the budget I have a lot of things to do.” “Time and a lot of meetings with the Chancellor to make sure we try to reach an agreement on this.”
In her brief tenure as prime minister, Liz Truss promised to increase defense spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2030, but Sunak has distanced himself from the promise.
Mrs Truss could increase pressure on the issue with a speech in Japan tomorrow on the foreign threats facing Britain.