Tri-Service

£500 Million Of Cuts For MoD

The government has announced that £500 million is to be cut from Britain’s defence spending this year.

The Chancellor wants the Defence Secretary to make the savings through efficiencies and underspends.

The Ministry of Defence, meanwhile, says it won’t mean any job losses and that it can save the money without affecting capability, operations, and training - although it may mean delaying some equipment orders.

It added that the reduction won't breach the NATO agreement to spend at least two per cent of national income on defence.

Forces TV's Kate Gerbeau spoke to former chairman of the Commons Defence Select Committee, James Arbuthnot, and asked him for his reaction to the news.

The education, international aid, defence equipment budgets and the entire health budget will all escape the cuts, with the Conservative party’s manifesto pledging an additional £8 billion to the NHS, which will require deeper savings elsewhere.

It comes amid escalating tensions between Russia and the West, with a report by foreign affairs think-tank Chatham House offering a stark warning about the need to protect Europe's military strength due to the situation in eastern Ukraine.