Tuesday 28 June 2022 12:24 AM Defence Secretary Ben Wallace asks No. 10 for £10bn a year more for Armed ... trends now
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has demanded £10 billion a year in extra military spending to meet the threat posed by Russia.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Wallace also highlighted alarming shortfalls in Britain's defence capabilities such as a lack of drones, not enough pilots to fly multi-billion-pound stealth jets and a paucity of crew members aboard Royal Navy nuclear submarines.
In a landmark speech today, he will insist the UK's annual defence budget should rise from 2 per cent of GDP to 2.5 per cent by 2028.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded with world leaders yesterday to give him the firepower to end Russia's war on Ukraine before winter
In a landmark speech today, Ben Wallace (pictured) will insist the UK's annual defence budget should rise from 2 per cent of GDP to 2.5 per cent by 2028
The British Army's most senior soldier will also address the Land Warfare conference to insist the UK's armed forces must be ready to fight Russia on the battlefields of Europe. General Sir Patrick Sanders will say the threat to peace, as posed by Vladimir Putin, is unprecedented in his career.
In a copy of his speech, released last night the Chief of the General Staff is set to say: 'This is our 1937 moment. We are not at war – but must act rapidly so that we are not drawn into one through a failure to contain territorial expansion.'
Last week he wrote to all the troops under his command telling them they must prepare 'to fight in Europe once again'.
It will be the second time in recent months Mr Wallace has called for an increase in defence spending. In March he wrote to Chancellor Rishi Sunak warning UK defence spending was at risk of dropping below the Nato minimum spend of 2 per cent, unless the Treasury provided further funds.
The Daily Mail understands if he is granted the additional budget, Mr Wallace would target specific capability gaps rather than upping the size of the Army – which is expected to shrink to just 72,500 by 2025.
A source said: 'The Defence Secretary is expected to emphasise that now that the threat has changed, governments must be
