Britain to bolster "Hollowed Out" armed forces to counter global threats

Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, Britain announced plans to strengthen its "Hollowed Out" armed forces to ensure the country is prepared to face what the head of a new defense committee review described as a "deadly quartet" of threats from China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia.

The government appointed former NATO Secretary-General George Robertson to lead a committee reviewing the British Armed Forces, with a report expected in the first half of 2025.

Robertson, who served as British Defense Secretary in the late 1990s and NATO Secretary-General from 1999 to 2003, emphasized the need for battle-ready armed forces due to the current level of threat.

"We are facing a deadly quartet of countries, China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, that are increasingly working together, and we in this country, along with NATO, which had a largely successful meeting last week, must be able to counter this quartet specifically, in addition to other challenges," Robertson told British media.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reaffirmed his commitment to increasing defense spending to 2.5% of GDP at the NATO summit in the United States, held shortly after his election. However, he has not yet set a timeline for this increase.

In launching the review, Starmer described the British Armed Forces as "hollowed out" and expressed a desire to increase spending responsibly to achieve long-term resilience.

"The NATO summit in Washington last week made it abundantly clear that the challenge posed by China must be taken extremely seriously," Robertson said.

The review will also be overseen by Fiona Hill, a former U.S. presidential advisor and foreign policy expert, along with retired British Army General Richard Barrons, who previously served as Commander of Joint Forces Command.