The strategic defense review led by Robertson recommended that Britain move to “warfighting readiness” — but many questioned how the government would find the necessary funding, even before the 5 percent target was agreed.
Robertson acknowledged “it won’t be easy” for the U.K. to deliver on its commitment, but said it had to ratchet up spending because at present “we’re underinsured, we’re under-prepared, and therefore we are not safe effectively.”
He went on to say: “If you’ve been invaded, like in eastern Ukraine, what you spend on welfare and what you spend on justice and what you spend on education is almost irrelevant, because you are under the heel of an authoritarian regime.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said Britain was “entering a new era of warfighting readiness” which would be “driven by the biggest sustained boost in defense spending since the end of the Cold War.”
They added that the strategic defence review, which the government has accepted in full “will make Britain safer from new threats in a more dangerous world, including by investing up to £1 billion in new funding for UK air and missile defense.”
The Labour Party peer, who led the alliance between 1999 and 2003, also backed calls for European countries to redress the imbalance within NATO created by U.S. dominance.