. | . |
U.K. boosts military spending on cyber security, nuclear submarine builds by Tauren Dyson Washington (UPI) Oct 30, 2018 The U.K. Ministry of Defense received a $1.3 billion budget increase for cyber security, anti-submarine warfare and the Dreadnought nuclear submarine build programs. This funding increase, which Philip Hammond, British chancellor of the exchequer, said will be available in the next few months, comes after a $1.2 billion bump in defense spending over the summer. "As a former defense secretary myself, I understand the immediate pressure our armed forces are facing, so today I will provide $1.3 billion to cover the remainder of this year and next to boost our cyber, and anti-submarine warfare capacity and to maintain the pace of the Dreadnought program," Hammond told Parliament. The news follows tug of war between Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson and Hammond to increase defense spending. This number still falls short of what Williamson expected. The U.K. puts more money into defense spending than all other NATO members except the United States. In May, Williamson told the Parliamentary defense committee that the U.K. benefits "massively from our relationship with the U.S. I said you couldn't actually put a price on it, but when you look at [it] in terms of the benefits we get on a yearly basis, I think we would benefit to the tune of a very minimum of $3.9 billion, and that is taking a very conservative approach." One defense expert said that the increase is better than what was expected, but the commitment lacks what the defense ministry requires to fill budget holes. "It's welcome, but comes nowhere near addressing the potential funding gap if you add up all the programs in the equipment plan," Jon Louth, the director for defense, industry and society at the Royal United Services, a British think tank, told Defense News. "It does appear to be a significant increase in percentage terms, although the devil will be in the detail." The Ministry of Defense still needs to fund its $230 billion, 10-year equipment plan, which has budget gaps between $5 billion and $25 billion. While the defense secretary calls the increase a "drop in the ocean" compared to the $25 billion he requested in June, he called it a "substantial financial boost." "Not only will this funding ensure we continue to have world-leading armed forces but will also allow defense to modernize our critical assets, such as our offensive cyber capabilities, anti-submarine warfare and our nuclear deterrent," Williamson said. "The Modernizing Defense Program is increasingly tied into the comprehensive spending review and the 10-year equipment plan in 2019. We might get a whitepaper in late winter or early spring to set up some of the themes but the details won't be out until beyond April," said Louth.
Swedes seek answers after alleged Stockholm sub sighting Stockholm (AFP) Oct 26, 2018 Swedish politicians were seeking answers Friday after reports emerged of a submarine sighting in Stockholm waters in June, which the military did not tell parliament's defence committee about. Newspaper of reference Dagens Nyheter reported late Thursday that three teenage instructors and children at a sailing camp in the suburb of Lidingo had spotted the mystery vessel on June 28. For about 20 minutes, they observed what they believed to be a dark grey or black submarine near the surface and wat ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |