BRITISH PM STARMER LAUNCHES REVIEW TO STRENGTHEN UK'S DEFENCE

LONDON, July 16 (PA Media/dpa) -- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has launched a review of the UK's defence to protect the country from a "more dangerous and volatile world".

Starmer said spending would be "responsibly increased" to bolster Britain's "hollowed-out armed forces", reported PA Media.

It comes after Starmer reaffirmed his commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) at the NATO summit in Washington last week.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the review will aim to strengthen UK homeland security, bolster Ukraine in its fight against Russia, and modernise and maintain the nuclear deterrent.

It will be led by former NATO secretary general George Robertson, and draw on military and foreign policy experts such as Fiona Hill and Richard Barrons.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Robertson warned of a "deadly quartet" as he referred to threats from China, Iran, Russia and North Korea.

A defence review team will also be established to engage with serving and retired members of the armed forces, the defence industry, the general public, academics, parliament and the UK's allies.

Starmer said: "We live in a more dangerous and volatile world. My Government will forge a new clear-eyed approach to our national defences, equipping us to tackle international threats head on while keeping the British people safe and secure.

"I promised the British people I would deliver the change needed to take our country forward, and I promised action not words. That’s why one of my first acts since taking office is to launch our strategic defence review.

"We will make sure our hollowed-out armed forces are bolstered and respected, that defence spending is responsibly increased, and that our country has the capabilities needed to ensure the UK’s resilience for the long term."

Defence Secretary John Healey will oversee the review and he will be regularly updated on progress, in addition to the prime minister and the chancellor.

Healey said: "At the start of a new era for Britain, we need a new era for defence. Hollowed-out armed forces, procurement waste and neglected morale cannot continue. Meanwhile, we need to be clear-eyed about the threats we face, with the world becoming more volatile and technology changing the nature of warfare.

"In response, our armed forces need to be better ready to fight, more integrated and more innovative. We need clearer accountability, faster delivery, less waste and better value for money.

"The review will ensure that defence is central to the future security of Britain and to its economic growth and prosperity.

"This new era requires a new type of review that moves at pace. The Prime Minister and I will therefore draw on both external military, industrial and foreign policy experts, and those from inside Government, to help set the path for Britain's defence for the next decade.

"Together, we will make Britain secure at home and strong abroad."

Robertson said it would be "an honour" to lead the review, adding: "We also will need a new type of review, which delivers quickly but also includes the views and voices of those from all parties, all parts of the defence family and a spectrum of our partners and allies."

He told The Telegraph: "We're confronted by a deadly quartet of nations, increasingly working together and we in this country, and the NATO alliance that met so successfully last week, has got to be able to confront that particular quartet as well as the other problems that are pervading the world."

-- BERNAMA-PA Media/dpa