09/03/2015

Further Cuts Expected In Defence Spending - RUSI

Further reductions could be made in defence spending and personnel numbers in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) has warned.

The review is due to start after the next general election.

The briefing, by RUSI Research Director Professor Malcolm Chalmers, projects that the UK will spend 1.95% of its GDP on defence in 2015/16, £37.3bn, excluding spending on operations.

Entitled 'Mind the Gap: The MoD's Emerging Budgetary Challenge', this briefing provides the most up-to-date assessment of UK defence spending and projections. It is the latest in a series of briefings from RUSI ahead of the next Strategic Defence and Security Review, which is to take place after the General Election.

Professor Chalmers wrote: "The final budgetary settlement will be one of the most strongly contested elements of this year's Spending Review. In contrast to the health, schools and international development budgets, none of the major parties has committed to protect the defence budget.

"Yet the MoD could face a substantial funding gap even on its own planning assumptions of 1% real annual growth in equipment spending and the protection of non-equipment spending at baseline levels."

(CD/JP)

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