Less than half of NATO nations allocate 2% of their GDP to defense, according to Sir Michael Fallon, who told News’ that we should be influencing the other members of the alliance and leading by example.
Spending did, he argued, begin to decline after the end of the Cold War, but the threat to the UK today is “much, much greater” than it was before.
There is a war raging over our land. In the Gulf, British ships are being sunk. International terrorism still exists right outside our door. We need to strengthen our defenses because the threat has grown more serious.
Sir Michael, who held the position from 2014 to 2017, urged political parties and candidates to pledge to raise defense spending to 2.5% of GDP in the upcoming parliament, which he said would be an increase of £8–£9 billion over current levels.
