UK military problems ‘much worse than thought’ – defense secretary

British Defense Secretary John Healey has issued a grim assessment of the state of the UK military, warning that the nation’s armed forces face “very serious challenges,” according to national media.

In a speech at the British Army’s annual Land Warfare Conference in London on Monday, Healey said he wanted to “establish a new era for UK defense” in the face of “rapidly increasing global threats,” Sky News reported.

The British Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force are all struggling with “hollowed out forces, procurement waste, [and] low morale,” Healey admitted.

“We now also see that these problems are much worse than we thought,” added the defense secretary, who has been in office for just over two weeks as part of the new Labour government.

Healey added that he wants to establish “a new era for UK defense” in the face of “rapidly increasing global threats.” 

The new British government launched a thorough defense review earlier this month after Labour’s general election victory. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has insisted that Britain should be better prepared for “a more dangerous and volatile world.” 

The government has set out a “roadmap” to spending 2.5% of national income on defense. Britain is a member of NATO, which requires that member states spend at least 2% of GDP on their militaries.

The conference in London was also attended by the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, General Valery Zaluzhny, who delivered a speech claiming that a Third World War may be approaching as a result of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Zaluzhny was removed from his post as commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces by Vladimir Zelensky in February following the failed 2023 counteroffensive.

London has been a vocal supporter of Kiev since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. The British government has delivered almost £12.5 billion ($16.1 billion) in aid to Kiev as of the beginning of July.

Earlier this month, Starmer pledged to provide £3 billion ($3.87 billion) a year in military support to Ukraine until 2030/31 and “for as long as needed.” 

Zelensky visited London last week to meet with Starmer and attend a cabinet meeting. The British leader told Zelensky that Britain would speed up the delivery of aid to Kiev, claiming that “Ukraine is, and always will be, at the heart of this government’s agenda.” 

London and Kiev also signed a framework agreement which included a £2 billion ($2.6 billion) loan to finance Ukraine’s defense needs.

The Russian diplomatic mission in London warned that further support for Kiev would only worsen the conflict and the situation on the ground in Ukraine.