UK defence chief says extra funding needed to avoid training and operations cuts

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton told the Lords International Relations and Defence Committee on 16 June 2026 that the armed forces will have to dial back training and operational activity unless the government increases day-to-day funding beyond the level set out in the Defence Investment Plan.

Knighton, who was appointed chief of the defence staff in September 2025, said the resource departmental expenditure limit that pays for exercises and current operations is the area of greatest concern. Without additional money, he said, those areas will come under pressure.

John Healey resigned as defence secretary the week before 16 June 2026. In a House of Commons statement the same day, Healey said his departure was necessary in securing the future of Britain's armed forces and alliances. He stated that the government's proposed cash settlement would reduce the readiness of the forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations.

5 percent. He noted that by 2030 well over half of NATO members will be spending 3 percent or more, and warned that adversaries do not follow timetables set by the Treasury. Healey said military chiefs had requested approximately £28 billion in additional defence funding over the next four years.

The government offered approximately £10 billion. He described the ten-year plan as backloaded, with spending increases weighted toward later years rather than the first two. Armed forces minister Al Carns resigned the week before 16 June 2026.

In his resignation letter, Carns said the Defence Investment Plan did not pay enough attention to drone warfare and was too focused on traditional hardware. The publication of the Defence Investment Plan, originally due the week before 16 June 2026, has been delayed following Healey's resignation. New defence secretary Dan Jarvis is reviewing how the offered money will be spent.