UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has presented a new defense development plan, which envisages increasing military spending to nearly £80 billion (about $105 billion) per year by 2029. A significant portion of the funding will be directed towards the development of drones, autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence. This is reported by Bloomberg, UNN reports.
Details
According to Starmer, the nature of modern warfare is rapidly changing, so the country must adapt its Armed Forces to new challenges.
"The best way to avoid war is to prepare for it. The best way to defend yourself is to deter. This plan will make Britons safer by ensuring the transformation of our armed forces,"
The document provides for an increase in defense spending to 2.7% of GDP by 2030. In particular, over the next four years, about £5 billion will be allocated for the development of drones and autonomous weapons — this is the UK's largest investment in such technologies.
In addition, London plans to bring total security spending, including the protection of critical infrastructure and energy, to 4.2% of GDP by the end of the decade. This is part of the country's commitments to NATO.
Starmer also expressed confidence that his likely successor, Andy Burnham, will continue the current course in the field of defense.
"This plan is our best vision of what the country needs right now, and it is the platform on which, I am confident, my successor will build,"
At the same time, the plan has already sparked discussions in the UK. To finance it, the government abandoned the idea of issuing defense bonds, as this could lead to an increase in interest rates.
Instead, funds are planned to be obtained by redistributing capital expenditures between government departments. Because of this, the implementation of some infrastructure projects, particularly in road construction and energy, will be postponed.