News / Interviews

‘UK military cuts to have negative effect’

Monday, 06 April 2015 6:14 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 06 April 2015 6:14 PM ]

The former US ambassador to the UN warns Britain against cutting its defense spending ‘at a worse time.’

John Bolton, who is a leading Republican spokesman on foreign affairs, said any further cuts in defense spending would make Britain “far more vulnerable militarily” and send a signal to potential enemies that “there is a diminished will in the West to defend itself.”

He warned that further cuts in defense expenditure could seriously affect future coalition operations with the US.

“The decline in British defense spending is extremely troubling,” Bolton said in an exclusive interview with The Daily Telegraph.

“It means Britain will be far more vulnerable militarily. A diminished UK military strength also has a more profound effect internationally because it is a sign to our mutual enemies that there is a diminished will in the West to defend itself. It sends an extremely negative signal to our enemies,” he said.

Bolton also called on the next British government to spend two percent of the UK GDP on the military.

Now London-based Political Commentator Rodney Shakespeare says: “John Bolton is a Zionist warmonger. He upholds America’s claimed desire to dominate the world militarily, economically, politically, and so on.

“NATO was formed as a defensive organization and has become one of aggression most notably at this moment in the actions in respect of Ukraine.”

Professor Shakespeare told Press TV’s UK Desk in a Monday interview that “politically, the US could not long survive only by its own actions. It requires allies and he is warning against UK military spending being relatively cut back from 2 percent of GDP down to 1.6 or something like that, he is really warning that without the cooperation of the UK, the USA will could not do quite as much as bullying as it wants to.”

Meanwhile, Bolton also said that at a time when the West faced growing threats from countries such as Russia and China, as well as ISIL militants in the Middle East, it was vital that Britain retained the military strength to participate in future coalition operations with the US.

This is while British PM David Cameron has refused to make a formal commitment to maintain defense spending at the 2 percent of GDP level required by Britain’s membership of NATO.

Recent estimates suggest the UK defense spending could fall to 1.7 percent by the end of the decade. Cameron has said he wants to see a real-terms increase in defense spending of around 1 percent, if he stays in power.

MTM/GHN

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk