Britain’s most senior military leaders have held a tense and “very difficult” meeting over how to rebuild the UK’s armed forces amid rising threats from Russia and China, and growing fears that the Ministry of Defence simply doesn’t have the money to deliver what has been promised.
Defence sources confirmed that the chiefs, led by Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, are increasingly worried about a widening gap between government ambitions and the reality of the defence budget, despite Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s pledge to fix the country’s “hollowed-out” forces.
Although the Ministry of Defence dismissed a report suggesting the chiefs were preparing an extraordinary joint letter to Defence Secretary John Healey, insiders across the Army, Navy and RAF say frustration is building.
“The SDR shot for the stars, but we only have fuel for the moon,” one source said, referring to June’s Strategic Defence Review.
Funding Fears Across All Three Services
One of the most pressing concerns is the plan to increase Army numbers from 72,500 to 76,000 in the next parliament, an expansion that requires significant new funding for recruitment, training and equipment.
There are also ambitions to grow reserve forces, which face similar budget pressures.
At Tuesday’s meeting at the Ministry of Defence, Sir Rich Knighton was joined by General Sir Roly Walker (Army), General Sir Gwyn Jenkins (Navy), Air Chief Marshal Harv Smyth (RAF) and General Sir Jim Hockenhull (Cyber and Special Operations).
Sources say the discussion focused heavily on the upcoming Defence Investment Plan, due next month but already delayed due to disputes over how to reconcile spending with strategic ambitions.
“Shoehorning the SDR into the DIP as inflation, foreign exchange movements, re-costing and unforeseen costs arise was always going to be hard,” one insider said.
They added that although the additional money required is “small compared to other public spending”, it is still not available under the current government’s constraints.
Allies Are Surging Ahead While the UK Inches Forward
Sources pointed to Germany and Poland, both of which have rapidly expanded their defence spending and military capabilities since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
By contrast, the UK will see its core defence budget rise only slightly, from around 2.3% to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, with a new NATO target of 3.5% unlikely to be met before 2035.
An MOD spokesperson insisted the Government remains united behind the Strategic Defence Review:
“All of defence is firmly behind delivery of our transformative SDR… backed by the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, hitting 2.6% of GDP by 2027.”
However, the 2.6% figure includes intelligence spending, meaning the core defence uplift is smaller than it appears.
