Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has defended the government’s decision to reprioritise Army training, insisting that military exercises have not been halted despite growing concern over pressure on the defence budget.
Mark Francois, the Conservative MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, questioned Streeting in the Commons about reports that Army training programmes had been cut as the government sought to contain spending.
Streeting rejected suggestions that training had stopped, while arguing that Britain’s armed forces needed to adapt rapidly to lessons emerging from the war in Ukraine.
“We are seeing the rapid evolution of modern warfare, and we are actively learning from our Ukrainian friends — their ingenuity, their expertise,” Streeting said.
“It’s also important we recognise the extraordinary capacity they have under the toughest of circumstances.”
He added that military training was continuing, but acknowledged that some activities had been deprioritised as the government sought to concentrate resources on areas it considered most operationally valuable.
“It is certainly not true to say training has ceased. Training continues — there has been some reprioritisation to make sure we’re prioritising those activities that will provide most impact at this point in time,” he said.
Streeting also stressed that the Ministry of Defence had a responsibility to operate within its allocated budget, as the government attempts to balance calls for greater military investment with wider fiscal constraints.
“I do acknowledge, though, that one of our responsibilities within our department is to live within our means,” he said. “I have to make sure there is not a culture of routine overspending, to make sure we are improving productivity and we are delivering value for money.”
The comments underline a difficult trade-off for the government: increasing defence investment while ensuring that existing spending is tightly controlled.
“Yes, we have got to make the case for more defence investment spending, but what we should not do within the process is allow a distraction from making sure we live within our means,” Streeting said.
The Defence Secretary was speaking during his first Commons speech in the role, in which he sought to emphasise the importance of adapting Britain’s military to a changing security environment.
Streeting praised the armed forces and defence specialists supporting the government’s efforts, saying the country should take greater pride in its military capabilities.
“I am lucky that in this endeavour I am supported by our armed forces and some of the smartest people on the planet,” he said.
“We should have enormous pride in what our country does…This Government will build a Britain worth fighting for.”
The remarks come as ministers face increasing scrutiny over whether the armed forces have sufficient resources to maintain readiness while modernising for the lessons of the Ukraine war.
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