UK's Defense Budget To See Biggest Increase Since Cold War - Johnson

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th February, 2021) UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that the country's defense spending will increase by 24 billion Pounds ($33 billion) over the next four years, meaning that the defense budget will see the biggest rise since the Cold War era.

During his speech at the online edition of the Munich Security Conference, Johnson said that the West needs to strengthen "their capabilities to meet the rigors of the ever more competitive world." The prime minister specified that the UK fulfills its obligations to NATO and enhances global influence to "keep our people safe."

"That's the reason I have decided to bolster our armed forces with the biggest increase in our defense budget since the Cold War. The UK's defense spending will rise by 24 billion pounds over the next four years, comfortably exceeding the NATO pledge to invest two percent of GDP," Johnson said.

Johnson added that such an increase will make sure that the UK retains the biggest defense budget in Europe and second-biggest in NATO after the United States.