Britain is exposed in a dangerous world as military faces £16.9billion budget gap, ‘very worried’ former defence chiefs warn

• Warnings come after the National Audit Office found military faces budget gap 

Britain has been exposed to in a dangerous world as the military faces a £16.9billion budget gap, two ‘very worried’ former military chiefs have warned.

The warnings came after the National Audit Office (NAO) found the military faces a budget gap of £16.9 billion – as analysis of the Ministry of Defence showed their plans to buy weapons and equipment are unaffordable.

It is the the largest budget deficit in defence spending ever recorded

Former top brass from the armed forces told the Government the gap between what it is promising and the funding it is providing to achieve that is ‘serious’ and leaves them ‘very worried’.

The Government has vowed to return defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP when the fiscal conditions allow for it.

Lord Stirrup, who was head of the armed forces between 2006 and 2010, said: ‘This interesting forecast in the NAO report is not a figure but a word. The word is “unknown”.

The warnings came after the National Audit Office (NAO) found the military faces a budget gap of £16.9 billion – as analysis of the Ministry of Defence showed their plans to buy weapons and equipment are unaffordable. Pictured: A British Challenger II tank

The Government has vowed to return defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP when the fiscal conditions allow for it. Pictured: Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth

Lord Stirrup, who was head of the armed forces between 2006 and 2010, said: ‘This interesting forecast in the NAO report is not a figure but a word. The word is “unknown”‘

‘It is the forecast of the Equipment Plan cost if it were to reflect all of the capabilities outlined in the 2023 Integrated Review and defence command paper refresh.

‘This gap between resource and ambition is serious, and leaves us exposed in an increasingly dangerous world.’

READ MORE: The UK’s armed forces face cuts to fill a record £17 billion black hole in the defence budget 

Former head of the Navy Lord West of Spithead told peers: ‘There is no doubt whatsoever that we need more money spent on defence, there is no doubt about it.

‘I understand that, yes, we are looking at 2.5 per cent when the situation allows, yes, we are very short of money, but sometimes if things are so dangerous and so worrying, you have to adjust your priorities.

‘It does seem to me that we are lulling ourselves into a full sense of security.

‘If the Government really thinks that our military is being sufficiently funded and all things are rosy, then I am very, very worried.’

The biggest increases have been in the nuclear and naval programmes, up £54.6billion, according to the NAO.

Ministers are being accused of losing control of the defence budget at a time of conflict in Europe and in the Middle East.

The biggest problem is the UK’s procurement system, say sources, as Britain routinely pays more and waits longer than its Nato partners for military equipment.

Inflation has added £10.9billion to the costs of the Ministry of Defence’s equipment plan, with the Treasury yet to allocate any extra funds.

Former head of the Navy Lord West of Spithead told peers there is ‘no doubt whatsoever’ that the defence budget needs to be boosted

The biggest increases have been in the nuclear and naval programmes, up £54.6billion, according to the NAO. Pictured: HMS Vigilant, which carries the UK’s Trident nuclear deterrent

But the Earl of Minto, a defence minister, said: ‘I don’t buy the fact that this plan is unfundable and unworkable.

‘There is significant flexibility within the figures and large contingencies to allow the flexibility of the correct platforms to be developed over the period of time to meet the defence needs for the state.’

He assured peers that the Government is taking the NAO’s report ‘very seriously’, adding: ‘There is an enormous amount of work going on in the department looking at the changing defence requirement going forward for the next 10 years and what impact that’s likely to have on the cost implications.

‘Everybody is fully aware that the Government wishes to get to the 2.5 per cent as a minimum and I’m sure that, when fiscal conditions allow, that will be delivered.’

His predecessor, Baroness Goldie, who was a defence minister for four years, said: ‘It’s actually wrong to look at the defence equipment plan as some kind of rigid, unchangeable proposition, you have to have headroom.

‘It is necessary to allow for flexibility, pursuant to the defence command paper refresh, but also because of emerging technologies and our constant journey with artificial intelligence.’

And the MOD’s accounts could be in even worse shape than the estimates as expensive commitments, such as upgrading the Challenger II tank, buying the latest air-to-air missiles and extending the lifespan of the Warrior infantry vehicle, have not been included.

The financial crisis is another concern for Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, who has faced criticism over his lack of military experience and knowledge.

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