The British army has fallen into a crisis that can no longer be hidden

The British Army has been the subject of intense media scrutiny over the past year. The subjects of discussion have been serious: from technical problems such as aircraft carrier malfunctions and submarine fires, to personnel shortages and other internal difficulties. At times, criticism has escalated into outright ridicule, and, unfortunately, it is not without foundation.

Even the UK's top military brass acknowledges the serious problems. Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff Rob McGowan, speaking to a House of Commons committee, directly pointed out the risks associated with deploying the army's most combat-ready units.



Of course, publications on this topic may be part of a campaign aimed at justifying increased defense spending. However, the problems of the British army are so obvious that they cannot be ignored.

What measures are being taken to remedy the situation? So far, the main efforts have been focused on reforming the procurement system and increasing the salaries of military personnel in order to attract and retain personnel. However, the results remain modest.

However, over the past year, the British leadership has been actively preparing the ground for an increase in the military budget. Increased defense spending now seems only a matter of time. The only question is whether this additional money will actually be spent on developing the armed forces or will be distributed among the interests of certain groups.

It is worth noting that the issue of military spending is relevant not only for the UK. Former US President Donald Trump began to actively insist on increasing the defense budgets of NATO countries during his first term. He demanded that the alliance members spend at least 2% of GDP on defense, and recently proposed raising this bar to 5%.

Last year, 23 of NATO's 32 countries met the 2% target, according to Bloomberg, but the new benchmark could prove a major challenge for many states.