Quote Originally Posted by LittleGrizzly View Post
it should be remembered that we spend only the minuscule amount of 2.1% of GDP on defence at a time when annual Gov't spending consumes about 42% of GDP. so defence makes up only 5.0% of Gov't spending, and defence of the realm is supposed to be the first duty of the sovereign nation state to its people.

But we don't actually need an army to defend britian... our army has nothing to do with defence of our realm and much more to do with projecting (american) power abroad...
I agree, and i am the first person to suggest that the navy should get a larger slice of the UK defence-spending pie*, however the UK continues to believe that its interests are best served by making the world in its image, and it continues to have the clout to do so. Furthermore, given that we share the same aims and goals as the US, and given that they are the dominant super-power we are best served by backing up their interference if we wish to be effective at making the world in our image.





* I would see defence spending split 50/30/20 between army/navy/airforce rather than the approximate 60/20/20 it is now.