By After weeks of speculation, Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, has confirmed that his reforms will involve a reduction in the overall number of armed forces personnel.
72,500 troops from the British army to be cut by 2025 which includes the army, navy and RAF.
The plan is to concentrate investment in replacing Trident and other hi-tech rearmament, such as electronic warfare and drones, which Johnson said earlier on Monday would give the military the kit to make them “all the more useful, all the more, I’m afraid, lethal, and effective around the world”.
Cash for investment has come at the cost of day-to-day spending cuts. Last November, the government announced a £16.5bn increase in the defence budget over the next four years, largely earmarked for future projects and to plug a black hole of up to £17bn in the Ministry of Defence’s budgets.
The operations force is to be created to help modernise the British Army and tackle global threats before they escalate.
The Rangers will be regularly deployed around the world to train foreign militaries and then accompany them to the fight if necessary.
Although many of the cuts spelled out in the defence command paper were anticipated, their breadth overall led to pointed exchanges in the Commons as the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, unveiled the five-year plan.
Announcing a major overhaul of the armed forces, Mr Wallace said it marked a shift from “mass mobilisation to information age speed”.
The number of tanks and armoured vehicles are also expected to be hit as money is freed up for investment in modern technology.
