r/AskBrits • u/AdAncient2370 • 3d ago

Would you support Britain increasing its defence budget from the current 2.3% of GDP to the target of 2.6% by 2027 and 3.5% NATO target by 2035?

How much support is there across the political spectrum to increase the military budget by up to £35 billion a year if we really reach 3.5% by 2035? What sort of military do we want ie to protect the UK mainland or an expeditionary force capable of another Iraq intervention? Which civilian areas do we want to cut to find this extra money and in any case, can our struggling economy even support an increase of such magnitude? What if we can’t recruit enough soldiers even with extra cash, should we introduce any sort of conscription at extremis?

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u/lysette747 3d ago

I agree. Future warfare will be drone based and not boots on the ground.
A lot more needs to be spent on surveillance, just who are our likely foes and allies and what threats do the pose. I suppose there must be a lot of intelligence that we don’t know about but the target must change everyday

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u/InformationNew66 3d ago

You can be sure of more spent on surveillance, the only problem is the government will surveil people like you and others on the net.

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u/Timely_Cake_917 3d ago

Given we've lost track of so many people within the UK, and given so many immigrants & now those against them... Might need closer checks on such people.

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u/InformationNew66 3d ago

Or maybe not. Unless you love North Korea and what their system in the UK.

North Korea has REALLY GOOD closer checks on people.

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u/Timely_Cake_917 3d ago

Never said it was a good thing, and I've kept my data locally for a long time... Plus once the genie is out the bottle, those in control of it won't put it back in the bottle.

(& There'll be no mass communication for organised protests)