Latest news with #militaryReadiness
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Talks ongoing over Nato defence spending target, says No 10
Discussions are ongoing about Nato spending targets, Downing Street has said, as the UK faces pressure from allies to increase its defence government plans to increase military spending from 2.3% to 2.5% of national income by 2027, and has set an ambition to then 3% by increase will fund plans to move the UK to "war-fighting readiness", as outlined in the government's strategic review of defence on Nato chief Mark Rutte is pushing for members of the military alliance to commit 5% towards defence-related spending at a summit this month. Rutte has proposed that Nato's 32 members should commit to spending 3.5% on hard defence, and 1.5% on broader security areas, such as cyber, by 2032, according to Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof. Some eastern European and Nordic countries have already said they will make pledges to increase defence spending to that level, in the run-up to the summit in the Netherlands on 24 President Donald Trump has demanded that Nato allies ramp up their military spending, and Rutte has been urging members to meet the target of 3.5% on hard defence ahead of the June asked if the UK would meet the 3.5% target, a spokesman for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK's commitment to Nato was "unshakable"."We're already the third highest contributor in cash terms to Nato," the spokesman said."There will always be discussions about contributions before a conference."The spokesman said the government's defence review "sets out a plan to meet the threats we face and continue to lead in Nato". Spending implications The review described the UK's defence policy as a Nato-first run-up to the review's release was dominated by a political row over when the government should pledge to meet its 3% spending Labour government says it wants to hit the target by 2034 at the latest, after the next general the Conservatives and Reform UK say the increase to that level should happen by the end of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has estimated that reaching 3% of GDP by 2030 would cost the UK government an additional £17.3bn.A further uplift to 3.5% of GDP would have implications for the government's spending February, the prime minister said he would cut the foreign aid budget to fund a boost in military spending. Target discussions In an interview with the BBC on Monday, Sir Keir said he would not put a date on when the UK would meet the 3% target, arguing to do so without an idea of how it would be paid for would be "performative fantasy politics".Later that day, in response to a question at a news conference, Sir Keir said: "There are discussions about what the contribution should be going into the Nato conference in two or three weeks' time."President Trump has long complained that allies do not pay enough towards their collective defence, and threatened the US would quit Nato over payments in countries have increased their spending since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in Rutte, who has met Trump in recent months, wants Nato members to go month, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said: "Rutte has sent a letter to all Nato members to say that he expects that the commitment at the Nato summit will be 3.5% on hard military spending, to be reached in 2032, and 1.5% on related spending such as on infrastructure, cyber security, and similar things also to be reached by 2032."
CNA
4 days ago
- Business
- CNA
UK to expand submarine fleet as defence review calls for 'warfighting readiness'
LONDON: Britain will increase the size of its nuclear-powered attack submarine fleet, the government has announced ahead of a defence review expected to say the country must invest billions to be ready and equipped to fight a modern war. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, like other leaders across Europe, is racing to rebuild his country's defence capabilities after United States President Donald Trump told the continent it needed to take more responsibility for its own security. Monday (Jun 2)'s Strategic Defence Review will call for Britain's armed forces to move to a state of "warfighting readiness", spelling out changing security threats and which defence technologies are needed to counter them. "We know that threats are increasing and we must act decisively to face down Russian aggression," defence minister John Healey said in a statement. Britain will build up to 12 of its next-generation attack submarines, which are nuclear-powered but carry conventional non-nuclear weapons, to replace the current fleet of seven from the late 2030s, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. Britain operates a separate fleet of submarines armed with nuclear weapons. The government for the first time said a pre-existing programme to develop a new nuclear warhead to replace the model used by that fleet would cost £15 billion. "With new state-of-the-art submarines patrolling international waters and our own nuclear warhead programme on British shores, we are making Britain secure at home and strong abroad," Healey added. The new submarines will be a model jointly developed by the UK, US and Australia under the security partnership known as AUKUS. REVERSE DECLINE In light of Trump's decision to upend decades of strategic reliance on the US by Europe, Starmer has already committed to increasing Britain's defence spending in an attempt to reverse a long-term decline in its military capability. He has promised to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 and target a 3 per cent level over the longer term. On Sunday he warned Britain must be ready to fight and win a war against states with advanced military forces. In the days running up to the Strategic Defence Review, which Starmer commissioned shortly after taking office last July, the government has announced plans to spend billions on munitions plants, battlefield technology and military housing. Juggling severely strained public finances, a slow-growing economy and declining popularity among an increasingly dissatisfied electorate, Starmer has sought to cast increased spending on defence as a way to create jobs and wealth. "This plan will ensure Britain is secure at home and strong abroad, while delivering a defence dividend of well-paid jobs up and down the country," he is expected to say in a speech launching Monday's review.
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Could you pass the Army's new physical fitness test?
In a significant shift, the new fitness standards will be the same for men and women, said Army officials. The Army Fitness test is 'sex-neutral and age-normed,' and is 'designed to enhance soldier fitness, improve warfighting readiness, and increase the lethality of the force,' according to a news release. In a Frequently Asked Questions section about the new test, the Army said it is moving to a sex-neutral scoring standard for combat military occupational specialties because 'higher fitness standards are strictly aligned with the unique physical demands of specific roles, maintaining readiness, and mission effectiveness.' It noted that 'no administrative action will be taken regarding the AFT [Army Fitness Test] until January 1, 2026.' The Army FAQ also refers to President Donald Trump 's executive order that states the federal government will only recognize two sexes — male and female — which campaigners say discriminates against transgender and non-binary people. It comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has vowed to eliminate 'wokeness' from the Pentagon. 'No More Trans @ DoD,' Hegseth wrote in a post on X earlier this month. The Supreme Court has cleared the path for the Trump administration to enforce a ban on transgender people from serving in the military. Transgender active service members can 'separate voluntarily' until June 6 and could be eligible for voluntary separation pay. The deadline is July 7 for reserve members. Some transgender service members are challenging the policy in the courts by arguing that the new policy is a violation of their constitutional rights and is discriminatory. What's in the new Army Fitness Test? Dr. Jason Perry, a Florida primary care sports medicine physician with Baptist Health Orthopedic Care, told Fox News that the challenge is 'not impossible for the average person with a basic fitness foundation.' 'Generally speaking, the AFT is challenging,' he said. 'But [it's] not impossible for the average person with a basic fitness foundation. It's designed to test full-body strength, muscular endurance, speed, agility and cardiovascular stamina — all elements essential for combat readiness, but also relevant to functional fitness for civilians.' There are five exercises in the test: Three-repetition maximum deadlifts, hand-release push-ups with arm extensions, a sprint-drag-carry exercise, holding the plank position, and finally, a two-mile run. In the first exercise, soldiers are required to deadlift the maximum weight possible three times, using a 60-pound hex bar and plates. Then, they must complete as many hand-release push-ups as possible in two minutes, completely lowering the body to the ground and extending the arms to the side before starting the next push-up. For the sprint-drag-carry exercise, they must perform 5 x 50-meter shuttles as quickly as possible with a 2 x 40-pound kettlebell and a 90-pound sled. Soldiers must then hold the plank position for as long as possible to assess muscular endurance, before finishing off with a two-mile run on a 'generally flat outdoor course.'
