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What new spending has been announced in the updated UK military strategy?

Ben Wallace, UK Defence Minister at European Defence Roundtable

The ‘refresh’ of the UK’s military strategy – published in mid-July – announced new spending of £2.5 billion, and provided more detail on earlier spending commitments. So, what has been revealed, and how does it compare with civilian public spending? The updated strategy says that the new £2.5bn will be spent on “munitions and stockpiles”, …

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Recruiting: GCOMS UK Co-ordinator

lithograph image of worker holding aloft a broken missile. Captioned 'Jobs not Bombs'

GCOMS UK is seeking a paid Coordinator (freelance) to bring together its various activities. Hours: 13 hours/week Remuneration: £25/hr Duration: 3 years (already part-funded as of April 2023). Location: Working remotely GCOMS is an international campaigning organisation that works to challenge the priority given by governments to military spending rather than environmental and social programmes. …

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aljazeera: Are militaries driving the climate crisis?

Dr Stuart Parkinson, GCOMS UK Co-Chair, appeared on an Aljazeera panel last night discussing military carbon emssions, alongside Lindsay Koshgarian, Program Director of The National Priorities Project and Marcy Winograd, Coordinator of Code Pink Congress. Write up for the show “For years, climate activists have centered their work around stopping some of the world’s biggest …

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Global military spending soars during cost-of-living crisis – and Britain is in the thick of it

Banner image for UK statement - image shows a military helmet used as a plant pot next to the slogan " War Costs us the earth"

New data on global military spending – published today – shows that last year it grew by 3.7% above inflation to a massive $2.24 trillion. The UK’s percentage increase – 3.7% – was higher than its largest NATO allies – the USA, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Turkiye. The new spending data has been published …

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Military spending boosted more than health, education, environment or overseas aid

This short briefing examines UK government spending presented by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, in his Spring Budget 2023 (SB-23).i Summary The detailed figures for SB-23 show that UK military spending over the period 2021-25 has been boosted by £7.1 billion when compared with budget figures announced in last autumn. This includes an …

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Eight reasons why we shouldn’t increase UK military spending

Image of F35-B lightning jets on the HMS Queen Elizabeth

The UK government is considering increasing its military budget in the wake of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia. It claims that the range of military threats now faced by Britain are greater than those it identified in a 2021 government review. Below are eight reasons why we think the UK’s military budget should …

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GCOMS on Warrior Nation Podcast

Warrior Nation Podcast logo

We were pleased to be asked to discuss the work of GCOMS UK on the Warrior Nation Podcast, produced by ForcesWatch one of our newest UK supporting organisations. As the sentiment goes, there always seems to be money for warfare but never quite enough for welfare. So what’s the picture in the UK – that …

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GCOMS Budget Briefing on the Autumn Statement

31/10/2022. London, United Kingdom. The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak meets with the Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt to discuss the upcoming fiscal event in the Cabinet Room in 10 Downing Street. Picture by Simon Walker / No 10 Downing Street

This short briefing examines UK government spending presented by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, in his Autumn Statement 2022 (AS-22). Summary Probably the main story of AS-22 – in terms of military spending – is that there isn’t actually a great deal to report. Despite the bluster of the Truss government’s promise to …

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GCOMS UK AGM & Budget Briefing

As we approach the third budget statement in as many months on the 17th of November, public spending cuts are again on the agenda. Yet even after the biggest increases in military spending in a generation during this Parliament, the UK Defence Minister is discussing a further £52bn increase in the midst of a desperate …

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