New UK defence secretary meets Nato allies without investment plan in place
Summary
The new UK Defence Secretary, Dan Jarvis, attended a NATO meeting without a finalized UK military spending plan. NATO leaders, including the US Defence Secretary, called for clearer and stronger commitments from member countries on increasing defence budgets.Key Facts
- Dan Jarvis became the UK Defence Secretary after John Healey resigned.
- Jarvis arrived at the NATO meeting without the UK's long-term Defence Investment Plan (DIP) published.
- NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte wants members to show clear and credible defence spending plans before the July 7 summit.
- US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized some NATO countries for not showing how they will meet defence spending targets.
- The UK government has pledged to raise defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035 but has not set clear intermediate goals.
- Former Defence Secretary Healey resigned citing the DIP falls short and is delayed, warning it does not meet urgent military readiness needs.
- The UK Ministry of Defence asked for an extra £28 billion but may receive about £13.5 billion over four years.
- The NATO meeting included discussions about supporting Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.