{"id":24344,"date":"2018-03-29T18:04:50","date_gmt":"2018-03-29T18:04:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/03\/29\/uk-releases-extra-funding-but-military-relevancy-challenges-remain\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:05:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:05:56","slug":"uk-releases-extra-funding-but-military-relevancy-challenges-remain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2018\/03\/29\/uk-releases-extra-funding-but-military-relevancy-challenges-remain\/","title":{"rendered":"UK releases extra funding, but military relevancy challenges remain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON and LONDON \u2015 The United Kingdom has announced a plan to add \u00a3800 million (U.S. $1.13 billion) to the Ministry of Defence\u2019s budget for the upcoming financial year, as top defense officials acknowledge that the cost<\/a> to keep Britain\u2019s military in top shape will remain a challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vast majority of that funding, \u00a3600 million, will be withdrawn from the \u00a310 billion contingency fund for the Dreadnought submarine program<\/a>, announced in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review. The contingency is held by the Treasury, which has agreed to release the funds in an effort to keep the \u00a331 billion Trident missile-armed submarine program on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A further \u00a3200 million will be added to the budget next year in the \u201cSupplementary Estimates<\/a>\u201c released by the Treasury in February 2018. While the \u00a3200 million was assigned to the current financial year, the MoD said it had brought forward payments due next year, releasing extra cash for the 2018-19 budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday\u2019s announcement will ensure that the work to rebuild the U.K.\u2019s new, world-class nuclear submarines remains on schedule, and it\u2019s another sign of the deep commitment this government has to keeping our country safe,\u201d Prime Minister Theresa May said during a public appearance Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The announcement comes as the U.K. and its NATO allies have accused Russia of organizing<\/a> an attempted assassination using a nerve agent on British soil. The ongoing fallout from that issue has included the expulsion of Russian diplomats from 20 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The issue of funding all of the U.K.\u2019s defense priorities has been underlined since Britain voted to leave the European Union<\/a> in 2016, which saw the pound\u2019s value drop just as the MoD signed contracts for a series of major modernization programs. At the same time, the speed at which technology is developing means a constant stream of investment is needed to keep up with peer competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taken together, the reality is that defense is \u201can expensive thing to deliver if you\u2019re in the premier league,\u201d said Gen. Gordon Messenger, vice chief of the Defence Staff. \u201cAnd we\u2019re determined to remain in the premier league.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t