British Army 'no longer able to defend Britain and its allies, US general warns'

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British military no longer considered a top fighting force, top US general reportedly told Defense Secretary Ben Wallace amid news concerns over UK military spending.

Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the defense select committee, said the military was in a "disastrous state" and called on the government to Rishi Sunak to reverse military cuts because we are at 'war in Europe'.

This follows a warning from defense sources that budget cuts have seen the military decline in the eyes of world leaders. "You don't have tier one - it's barely tier two," the US general told Mr Wallace, according to Sky News.

The defense budget should be increased by £3billion a year to deal with US concerns, sources told the broadcaster - with a warning that the armed forces were 'unable to protect the UK and our allies for a decade'. p>

Raising the US general's reported remarks in the Commons, Mr Ellwood said they were consistent with his own committee's findings that the war in Ukraine had "revealed serious deficiencies in the fighting capability of the United States." 'British Army'.

Acknowledging budget concerns, Defense Secretary James Heappey said Mr Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt both understand the army has an "urgent need" of larger expenses.

Mr. Heappey said "serial underinvestment in the military over the decades has led to the point where the military is in dire need of recapitalisation. The chancellor and prime minister get it, and there's a budget to come."

Mr. Wallace - who has previously pushed No 10 and the Treasury for more money - repeated his candid assessment that the military had been 'empty and underfunded' when challenged by Labor over the budget cuts.

John Healey, the shadow Defense Secretary, told the Commons: “When Labor left government in 2010, the British Army had over 100,000 men at full time. and we were spending 2.5% of GDP on defence."

Respondent, Mr. Wallace: "I'm happy to say we dug in and underfunded. Will he the same? Or will he hide behind petty party politics?"

After the unnamed US general's assessment to Mr. Wallace, defense sources called the Gov. .

British Army 'no longer able to defend Britain and its allies, US general warns'
IndyEatSign up for Inside Politics email for your briefing free daily on the biggest stories in British politicsGet our free Inside Politics emailPlease enter a valid email addressPlease enter a valid email addressI would like to be notified by email about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice{{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}An error has occurred. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

British military no longer considered a top fighting force, top US general reportedly told Defense Secretary Ben Wallace amid news concerns over UK military spending.

Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the defense select committee, said the military was in a "disastrous state" and called on the government to Rishi Sunak to reverse military cuts because we are at 'war in Europe'.

This follows a warning from defense sources that budget cuts have seen the military decline in the eyes of world leaders. "You don't have tier one - it's barely tier two," the US general told Mr Wallace, according to Sky News.

The defense budget should be increased by £3billion a year to deal with US concerns, sources told the broadcaster - with a warning that the armed forces were 'unable to protect the UK and our allies for a decade'. p>

Raising the US general's reported remarks in the Commons, Mr Ellwood said they were consistent with his own committee's findings that the war in Ukraine had "revealed serious deficiencies in the fighting capability of the United States." 'British Army'.

Acknowledging budget concerns, Defense Secretary James Heappey said Mr Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt both understand the army has an "urgent need" of larger expenses.

Mr. Heappey said "serial underinvestment in the military over the decades has led to the point where the military is in dire need of recapitalisation. The chancellor and prime minister get it, and there's a budget to come."

Mr. Wallace - who has previously pushed No 10 and the Treasury for more money - repeated his candid assessment that the military had been 'empty and underfunded' when challenged by Labor over the budget cuts.

John Healey, the shadow Defense Secretary, told the Commons: “When Labor left government in 2010, the British Army had over 100,000 men at full time. and we were spending 2.5% of GDP on defence."

Respondent, Mr. Wallace: "I'm happy to say we dug in and underfunded. Will he the same? Or will he hide behind petty party politics?"

After the unnamed US general's assessment to Mr. Wallace, defense sources called the Gov. .

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