David Cameron hails 10,000 rapid 'strike brigade' troops as 'helping Britain shape world events'
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Version 0 of 1. David Cameron has said the decision to create two 5,000-strong rapid “strike brigades” will help Britain “shape” world events. The Prime Minister will announce the creation of the new units as part of the Government’s multi-billion-pound restructuring of the Armed Forces later today. The two units, which will be carved out of the existing Armed Forces, can be deployed more quickly than conventional forces and be less dependent on logistical support. The thinking behind the “strike brigades” was based on an “understanding that we cannot choose between conventional defences against state-based threats and the need to counter threats that do not recognise national borders,” Mr Cameron said. Speaking on a visit to RAF Northolt ahead of the publication of the Government’s Strategic Defence and Security Review, Mr Cameron said: "We have now got a stronger economy and we can choose, rightly, to invest more in our national security - more ships, more planes, a bigger navy, a bigger RAF, a better equipped army, better in terms of fighting cyber attacks and fighting terrorism. "Britain is the only major country anywhere in the world that both meets its Nato spending targets and meets its aid commitments. "We are an engaged nation, not for reasons of national vanity but for reasons of clear-eyed self interest. What goes on in the world matters to the United Kingdom and so we should be helping to shape it. "And with today's announcement we can do just that." Mr Cameron will set out details of a £12bn increase in spending on defence equipment in a Commons statement later today. It will take investment in defence equipment to £178bn and with a minimum £20bn needed to fund the renewal of Britain’s Trident nuclear deterrent, cuts will be needed elsewhere in the defence budget despite George Osborne’s pledge to devote at least 2 per cent of Britain’s national wealth to defence. The Chancellor finally announced the UK would meet the Nato target in his summer budget after coming under pressure from Tory MPs and defence chiefs. The cuts in the defence budget are expected to come in the form of thousands of civil service posts at the Ministry of Defence, setting the Government up for a battle with trade unions. |