UK Governments Support for Ukraine Has Left It Vulnerable to Attack

UK governments support for Ukraine has left it vulnerable to attack – by Argentina, Iran and/or Russia – …and China?

welfare or rubble?

PETER HALLIGAN

Argentina may or may not mount a fresh attack on the Falkland Islands.

Russia may or may not retaliate against the use of UK missile attacks on he Russian heartland.

Iran may or may not be able to fire long range ICBM’s at London and other European capitals.

All unlikely – but then – four years ago – so was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the ‘snatching’ of a Venezuelan president and the joint US/Israeli attack on Iran.

The UK has been funnelling weapons and materiel to Ukraine at a rapid rate of knots since 2022 – causing a lot of damage inside and outside Russia.

THE UK’s military is widely acknowledged to be at its weakest- as a cohesive fighting force- for decades.

You may be forgiven for thinking he UK neds to bulk up its capabilities to recover what it has depleted AND to establish a robust defensive shield against potential risks – maybe in excess of its current promise to double defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP by 2035 150 billion pounds a year from th current approx. 60 billon pounds a year.

How weak is the UK’s military ‘might’?

‘Army: The British Army has seen a significant decline in size over the past two decades. In 2000, it had around 120,000 personnel; by 2025, it had fallen to approximately 109,000. This reduction reflects a 29% decrease in fully trained personnel since 2000. The Army has also faced challenges with equipment, with only about 200–213 main battle tanks (Challenger 2) in service—down from over 1,000 in the 1980s. In April 2025, active Army personnel dropped to just under 74,000, the lowest level since 1793.

Navy: The Royal Navy and Royal Marines have experienced a steady decline in personnel and operational capacity. In 2000, the Navy had around 40,000 personnel; by 2025, this had dropped to 37,900. Despite maintaining two aircraft carriers, neither has carried more than eight fighter jets due to a shortage of F-35B aircraft. The Navy operates 117 naval assets, ranking 31st globally in fleet strength. It also faces challenges with ship availability, with many vessels undergoing maintenance or upgrades.

Air Force: The Royal Air Force (RAF) has undergone the most dramatic reduction in personnel and capability. In 2000, it had around 42,000 personnel; by 2025, this had fallen to 34,830—a 46% drop in fully trained personnel since 2000. The RAF is short on fighter jets, with only 664 aircraft in total (ranked 15th globally), and is retiring nearly a third of its Eurofighter Typhoon fleet. Pilot shortages and delays in the F-35 program have further limited its operational readiness.

Overall Trends: Over the last 20 years, all three services have shrunk in size and capability, with the UK’s military described as “hollowed out” due to years of underfunding and procurement delays. While the UK remains ranked 6th globally in military power by Global Firepower, its ability to project force or sustain prolonged combat operations—especially in Europe—has been questioned. A 2025 simulation showed the British Army would run out of ammunition in just ten days in a European conflict. Despite this, the UK continues to maintain high-quality, technologically advanced forces, but with limited numbers and readiness.

The UK’s military aid to Ukraine has significantly depleted its own military capabilities, particularly due to the large-scale transfer of critical equipment from national stockpiles. Since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, the UK has committed £7.6 billion in military aid, including the shipment of nearly all its AS90 mobile artillery units and 14 Challenger 2 tanks—both of which were vital to UK operational readiness.

This has created a capability gap in the UK’s armed forces, as acknowledged by Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard, who stated that the transfer was the right decision but poses challenges in the interim period.

The National Audit Office (NAO) reported that replacing donated equipment could cost up to £2.71 billion, far exceeding the original net book value, due to the need for newer, more advanced technology. To mitigate this, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) reduced the pace of donations from mid-2023 onward to avoid “unacceptable risks” to UK military readiness. The MoD has since prioritized donating older or soon-to-be-retired equipment, such as outdated Army boots, while investing £10 billion in munitions production over the next decade and planning six new munition factories.

A Strategic Defence Review (SDR), expected in early 2026, is assessing how to right-size UK forces to meet current and future threats, including the need to protect critical infrastructure like undersea data cables. The review also highlights that the UK’s armed forces are currently unprepared for high-intensity warfare like that in Ukraine, with insufficient munitions, low troop numbers, and ageing equipment. Despite this, the UK remains committed to a “100-year partnership” with Ukraine, pledging £3 billion annually in military aid.

Then there’s this little nugget;

‘Ukrainian forces defeated a British brigade in a simulated NATO wargame during the Hedgehog 2025 exercises held in Estonia in May 2025. The scenario involved over 16,000 troops from 12 NATO countries, with Ukrainian drone operators—using the AI-powered Delta battlefield management system—conducting a counter-attack. In just half a day, a small Ukrainian unit of about 10 soldiers executed 30 simulated strikes, destroying 17 armored vehicles and effectively neutralizing an entire British brigade and Estonian division.

The exercise highlighted how modern drone warfare, combined with real-time intelligence and AI coordination, can overwhelm conventional military formations. NATO forces were reportedly caught off guard because they failed to use camouflage or concealment, making their movements highly visible to Ukrainian drones. A commander involved remarked, “We are f—”, underscoring the shock of the outcome. The results have prompted urgent reviews within NATO, especially in the UK, to adapt doctrine, improve counter-drone systems, and increase defense spending to match the new realities of warfare.

‘The ‘net zero insanity has reduced the capacity of the UK to even make weapons grade materiele due to the intentional shutting down (and selling out to China) of crucial steel works – currently running at a massive loss.

‘The UK government has spent £377 million over the past nine months to keep the Scunthorpe steelworks operating, according to a National Audit Office (NAO) report published on March 16, 2026. This intervention was triggered after the plant’s Chinese owner, Jingye, announced it was losing £700,000 per day due to high operational costs, tariffs, and environmental pressures. The government stepped in with emergency legislation to prevent an imminent closure that would have jeopardized 2,700 jobs and disrupted critical supply chains, including those for Network Rail.

Speaking of Ukraine; – to repeat;

‘The UK’s military aid to Ukraine has significantly depleted its own military capabilities, particularly due to the large-scale transfer of critical equipment from national stockpiles. Since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, the UK has committed £7.6 billion in military aid, including the shipment of nearly all its AS90 mobile artillery units and 14 Challenger 2 tanks—both of which were vital to UK operational readiness. This has created a capability gap in the UK’s armed forces, as acknowledged by Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard, who stated that the transfer was the right decision but poses challenges in the interim period.

I suggest that all of this weaponry is now destroyed (or sold to)/by the Russians.

And the latest brilliant scheme. In the face of the evolution in modern warfare towards drones and missiles here’s the latest DELIBERATE ploy to weaken the defensive capabilities of tThe United Kingdom has significantly ramped up its military support to Ukraine, delivering over 85,000 military drones since April 2025, as part of a £600 million air defence and drone delivery package. This effort includes a mix of reconnaissance drones, first-person view (FPV) systems, and interceptor drones designed to counter Russian Shahed-style attack drones. The UK is co-leading the Drone Capability Coalition with Latvia, which has pooled funds from nations like Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden to procure advanced drones and interceptors.

A key component of the UK’s strategy is the “Octopus” interceptor drone program, a joint UK-Ukraine initiative that uses battlefield data to mass-produce low-cost, effective drones to defend Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. The UK has also committed to delivering 100,000 drones to Ukraine by April 2026, marking a tenfold increase from 2024. In addition to drones, the UK has supplied automated drone-killing turrets, RAVEN and GRAVEHAWK air defence systems, and over 140,000 artillery shells, reinforcing Ukraine’s defensive capabilities during intensified Russian attacks.’

The UK has the brains and know how to recover from THE TREASONOUS actions of its politicians. The country faces A NATIONAL EMERGENCY – I have no doubt if it was threatened directly, welfare and pension beneficiaries would sacrifice ten per cent of benefits to re-arm and protect future benefits. THAT WOULD BE A LAST RESORT – with the populations’ ‘backs to the wall’.

The ovrdue uk national ‘defence review’ must contain detailed plans on a swift increase I defence apendin to £10 billion A YEAR AND ITS MAINTENACE t ha level for ten years – cost 1.5 trillion pounds – wih a corresponding decrease I welfare spending to pay for it.

‘The UK spends approximately £377.7 billion on welfare annually by 2029/30, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), up from £296.3 billion in 2023/24. This represents a rise from 10.9% to 11.1% of GDP. The largest drivers of this increase are higher spending on pensioners (projected to rise to £182.7 billion by 2029/30) and health and disability benefits (forecast to increase from £67.4 billion to £100.7 billion).

For healthcare, government expenditure was £252 billion in 2023 (in 2024 prices), and total UK healthcare spending (including non-government sources) is estimated at £317 billion in 2024. In 2024/25, the Department for Health and Social Care is projected to spend £204.7 billion, with £193.2 billion allocated to day-to-day NHS costs such as staff salaries and medicines. The NHS is expected to spend £246.7 billion by 2028/29.

You pays you money and makes your choice. How the governments plans to build 1.5 million new homes, for a recoverable cost of 750 billion pounds by 2029, fit into all this is a matter for politicians.

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