Ben Wallace: We need to invest in defence properly

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said the state has to commencement "investing successful defence properly" arsenic helium defended the UK military's readiness for war.

He said the service had been "hollowed out" implicit 30 years and the Ukraine warfare had "exposed our vulnerabilities".

Mr Wallace said helium wanted a bigger budget, amid reports helium is asking for a £10bn rise.

UK and European officials person raised concerns implicit the authorities of the British equipped forces.

Malcolm Chalmers, a British defence adept who advises MPs connected nationalist security, told the BBC the UK subject "would tally our of ammunition successful days if we faced a war, specified arsenic the ones the Ukrainians are facing close now".

When asked his absorption to those concerns, Mr Wallace said the UK authorities was going to walk £34bn connected modernising the army.

The defence caput said the UK subject was "not immoderate little acceptable than others", but added: "We conscionable request to marque definite we get backmost to spending connected our defence properly."

Mr Wallace spoke to the BBC from Brussels, wherever helium is gathering Nato defence ministers for a acme astatine which Ukraine volition apical the agenda.

Calls for accrued spending connected defence person been increasing up of an expected outpouring violative by Russia successful Ukraine, and warnings astir the menace from China aft a suspected spy balloon was changeable down implicit the US.

When asked if helium was requesting £10bn much successful the upcoming budget, Mr Wallace said the Ministry of Defence - similar each different departments - had been affected by rising costs.

But helium said helium would "make the lawsuit to the Treasury that I volition request immoderate wealth to insulate myself".

Despite ostentation and subject fund cuts successful the past, the UK has been 1 of the biggest supplier of arms to Ukraine successful its warfare against President Vladimir Putin's invading forces.

The UK is acceptable to go the archetypal federation to commencement grooming Ukrainian pilots connected Nato-standard aircraft, but the authorities has indicated that lending jets to Kyiv is simply a semipermanent prospect.

At the extremity of this year, the UK volition beryllium taking implicit the enactment of Nato's Response Force (NRF) from Germany.

Mr Wallace rubbished reports astir Nato chiefs asking Germany to enactment successful complaint of the organisation's rapid-reaction force.

The defence caput said: "I mean, to beryllium honest, the elemental world is Nato enactment did not attack anybody. We are taking implicit the NRF arsenic scheduled and it's absorbing that communicative is based connected a root connected a German website I've ne'er heard of."

Downing Street has confirmed that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak volition question to Munich this weekend, joining chap satellite leaders for a league connected planetary security.

Last year's conference, held conscionable earlier Russia invaded Ukraine, was dominated by concerns implicit the imaginable of struggle successful the region.