Main article: UK Foreign Policy
Participation in military organizations
2023:73% of the population supports NATO
Military bases and foreign operations
Main article: UK military bases and overseas operations
Number of troops
2025: The Little Army
2024: 140,000 own troops and thousands of US military
2021: Number of troops: 156 thousand people
Military budget
2024
5th in the world in defense spending - $81 billion
35-year defence spending cut by 51%
2023: Defence spending - 2.3% of GDP
2021: Military spending - $68.4 billion
Nuclear arsenal
2024
Britain fails Trident ballistic missile test again
On February 20, 2024, it became known that Britain conducted an unsuccessful test launch of the Trident II D5 ballistic missile from the HMS Vanguard nuclear submarine. This is the second disastrous start since 2016, when during testing the rocket deviated from the course and self-destructed. Read more here.
Deployment of US nuclear weapons for the first time in 15 years
In January 2024 , it was announced that the United States would deploy nuclear weapons in Britain. The warheads will be deployed at RAF Lakenheath for the first time in 15 years, Pentagon documents say .
The US had already used Lakenheath Air Base to store nuclear weapons from 1952 to 2008. In 2008, the US military removed B-61 bombs from British territory due to their obsolescence and, in part, as part of a disarmament program.
2023: Among the countries with the largest reserves of raw materials for nuclear weapons
For China, data on traces of the presence of highly enriched uranium and plutonium in the country
As of
March 2023
2021
Investigation
2025:1 military satellite
Combat Command and Control System
2023: Criticism of Morpheus system developers
In August 2023, British House of Commons deputy Mark Francois announced that the projected combat control system (SBU) of the Morpheus tactical link could become another fiasco of the national military-industrial complex. The new development should ensure effective interaction between the species and genera of the armed forces, as well as timely collection of data on the situation during operations.
General Dynamics back in 2016 ,# contents signed a contract with the military to upgrade the outdated SBU Bowman for about 3.2 billion pounds. The process has not moved much since then, with the British army spending around £690m but only seeing a bundle of reports and presentations at Power Point.
Morpheus was due to enter service in 2025, but MPs and military analysts warn the system is unlikely to be operational until 2030. The blame for the failure was once again blamed on an ineffective system of public procurement.
Recently, the British decided to reform the process of interaction with enterprises of the military-industrial complex. The government plans to set the maximum delivery times for new weapons: five years for equipment and three years for software.
AIR FORCE
2025:137 Typhoon fighters and 31 F-35Bs. A significant part of the malfunctioning
As of February 2025, 137 Typhoon FGR4 and 31 F-35B Lightning fighters are in service with the Royal Air Force. In 2023, the modernization of Typhoons (107 vehicles) began, and 30 Lightings are also expected to arrive.
Of the 137 Typhoons, a significant part of the air cannot and is used as part donors. This is a common practice for almost any air force, but the situation here is complicated by another circumstance.
A considerable part of the aircraft has long developed a glider resource of 6 thousand hours, as a result of which their modernization is impractical. For this reason, the British tried to sell the sides to Serbs and other countries.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that the Typhoon production plant is actually idle and is not building new fighters. Which leads to a loss of competencies and even affects the creation of spare parts.
There are also questions about the strike capabilities of the British Air Force, especially the Storm Shadow missiles: although this is definitely a formidable weapon, it is not clear how many of them really remained in warehouses after free supplies to Ukraine.
The British also have Shadow R1 and RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft, as well as marine P-8A Poseidon. But things are worse with AWACS: E-3D have already been written off, and the new E-7 Widgetail is just being built.
The Royal Air Force has 10 reconnaissance and strike UAVs at its disposal MQ-9A and a contract for 16 more.
An equally serious problem is the shortage of flight personnel - serious personnel difficulties are generally characteristic of all British armed forces.
The state of the Royal Air Force is better than the ground forces, and they pose a certain threat. Although it is not obvious how the system will function in the realities of a high-intensity conflict, and not the bombing of the almost defenseless Houthis, Rybar wrote.
2024
Defense pact with Germany
On October 23, 2024, British Defense Minister John Healy and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius signed a defense pact. The document implies the following joint initiatives:
Starting next year, the aircraft of the basic patrol aviation of the German Navy will begin tracking Russian submarines off the coast of Scotland - back in 2023, Britain was concerned about the lack of forces and means to carry out these tasks.
German defense company Rheinmetall will open an artillery barrel factory in Britain, which, according to plans, will create more than 400 jobs.
The specialists of the two countries will work together to create new long-range cruise missiles, the tactical and technical characteristics of which should exceed the Storm Shadow of Anglo-French production.
Berlin London The and also plan to implement a joint project to monitor underwater threats in order to protect critical infrastructure at the bottom of the North Sea.
Britain has just four fighter jets ready for immediate deployment in case of military attack
At the end of June 2024, it became known that Britain has only four fighters ready for immediate deployment in the event of a military attack. In fact, this air fleet is not able to protect the country in a full-scale conflict.
Air Marshal Greg Bagwell, former commander of the Royal British Air Force, spoke about the problem in an interview with The Sun. Multipurpose fourth-generation Eurofighter Typhoon fighters ready to take to the air immediately as part of a rapid response procedure are at air bases in Lossiemouth (Scotland) and Coningsby (Lincolnshire, Britain), he said. Bagwell says that the country's air force can "comparatively quickly" prepare other combat aircraft in response to an enemy threat, however, "the resources necessary for this may soon run out."
 | The aircraft we have will not be able to defend against a serious attack. We can respond to a relatively limited strike, but aircraft and weapons stocks will end quite quickly during the protracted conflict, Bagwell notes. |  |
Two decades of relative peace in the post-Cold War era saw Britain, like most European members, stop NATO investing in the military. And this turned into an acute shortage of fighters in combat readiness, based throughout the country. According to the marshal, Britain needs to strengthen its armed forces, otherwise the enemy can take advantage of weakness and deliver a crushing blow.
Britain has about 130 Eurofighter Typhoon fighters as of mid-2024, according to a former Royal Air Force commander. However, already in 2025, their number may be reduced to 100. Moreover, of them "not everyone will be ready for flight."[1]
Pilot training in Italy and the United States due to a lack of own training aircraft
In March 2024, the media wrote that Britain spends millions of pounds on training pilots abroad, since the Royal Air Force lacks jet training aircraft.
To train officers in Italy and the United States, the British taxpayer will have to fork out 55 million pounds (approximately two million per pilot) over the next three years.
2023
Former British pilots trained China pilots for generous salary
In September 2023, the new British Secretary of Defense Grant Shapps said that former British army personnel training colleagues from competing countries would be brought to justice.
The warning comes after it emerged a number of former British military pilots have trained pilots in China's People's Liberation Army for a generous salary of around £240,000.
In October 2022, 30 retired British pilots went to train members of the Chinese army. After the release of this information, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said that the training and recruitment of pilots did not violate the current legislation, but the authorities would make attempts to contain such activities.
Such statements are made against the background of difficulties in organizing the process of combat training of British pilots. One of the most important factors influencing training is the lack of qualified instructors as pilots seek to leave for higher-paying jobs instead of training their mates.
Against this background, the gender scandal that occurred in the air force looks comical. In August, the department suspended the recruitment of white men in order to fulfill the goals of gender and ethnic diversity in the troops.
Problems with transport aircraft
Even the increase in military spending in 2023 has not yet eliminated the problems that have accumulated in the British armed forces over the years.
Back in 2021, the British defense department, under pressure from the Ministry of Finance, decided to decommission all 14 C-130 Hercules transport aircraft from Lockheed Martin by 2023. In exchange, it planned to bet on Airbus' more modern A400M Atlas .
According to media reports, only 7 of the 21 A400Ms in the Air Force are in service. Of the remaining, 6 are on scheduled maintenance, 3 aircraft have serious technical malfunctions, and 5 are undergoing modernization in Spain.
Unlike the A400M, older C-130s can use shorter runways, which is a very important factor in many operations.
Hotel nuance concerns reliability: during the recent evacuation of the embassy Sudan Britain in attracted four A400M, three of which had malfunctions. At the same time, none of the three S-130 involved had any problems.
Against this background, the British armed forces suddenly realized that the withdrawal of all C-130s would significantly reduce the ability of the Air Force to provide air transportation.
Military personnel hope that the Department of Defense will reconsider the decision to decommission the C-130.
British servicemen learn to operate UAV MQ-9B Protector in the United States
In May 2023, British Air Force personnel began a 12-week training course for the Protector MQ-9B on May 10. The training is organized on the basis of the American Flight Test Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota. While the command of the British Air Force creates the necessary training and material base on its territory, personnel training will take place in the United States.
Former British Prime Minister David Cameron announced in October 2015 the start of the Protector program, under which it was planned to replace 10 Reaper MQ-9A unmanned aerial vehicles with 26 modernized BpLAs MQ-9B Protector by 2024.
To implement these measures, the British Ministry of Defense in 2021 signed a contract with the American company General Dynamics for the construction of the first three Protector UAVs with the ability to increase the order to 16 units. The first sample successfully passed flight tests in 2022.
The most important differences in MQ-9B from its predecessor are a significant increase in flight duration from 27 to 48 hours and payload mass by almost half. It is stated that the UAV will be armed with Brimstone air-to-surface missiles and Paveway IV precision bombs.
2022: Sixth Generation Fighter Plan
As of the end of 2022, it is planned to sign an agreement with Japan and Italy on the development of a sixth-generation Tempest fighter, which will be armed with hypersonic missiles.
2019:88 fighter planes
1990
Navy
2025: Problems with the operation of ships
As of March 2025, the British have two Queen Elizabeth aircraft carriers. Despite the fact that the ships were built recently, they more than once became a reason for ridicule due to constant problems with operation and only formal combat readiness.
The missile ships are represented by six Type 45 destroyers and eight Type 23 frigates with good balanced TTHs. In parallel, the construction of 13 frigates of type 26 and 31 is planned, although the deadlines are unlikely to be met - shipyards in Britain are closed, and competencies naturally go down.
The Navy has four Vangard-type atomic missile carriers - the only carriers of British nuclear weapons in the person of American Trident missiles. Five multi-purpose nuclear submarines of the Estyut type can provide their deployment.
But with the auxiliary fleet, the situation is much worse, wrote "Rybar": there is only one supply ship, which significantly limits the possibilities of operations and amounts to relying on the fleet of NATO countries.
The number of submarine fleets in the countries of the world according to Bloomberg as of March 2025:
- UNITED STATES: 70
- Russia: 63
- China: 61
- Iran: 25
- Japan: 24
- South Korea: 22
- India: 18
- North Korea: 13
- Turkey: 13
- Greece: 10
- United Kingdom: 9 (according to other sources 6)
- France: 9
- Vietnam: 9
- Egypt: 8
- Italy: 8
- Pakistan: 8
- Singapore: 6
- Algeria: 6
- Australia: 6
- Germany: 6
- Norway: 6
Also, the Royal Navy also has a Special Boat Service - a special unit of combat swimmers, have technologies for the production of BeKov.
The shortage of personnel remains a serious problem. So, to ensure the service of the new frigates, the British had to dismantle the crews of the other two. So the big question is how many ships they can actually send to sea.
2024
Permanent repair of aircraft carriers does not allow them to be used
In January 2024, it was announced that the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier would again be repaired due to a certain "mechanical malfunction" identified a few hours before going to sea to participate in the Steadfast Defender 2024 exercise.
According to British media, the problem on the aircraft carrier will not allow it to be used in the near future. Emergency training is underway for the second ship of this class - the Prince of Wales, which has been under repair for almost nine months.
Every second or third entry into the sea of British aircraft carriers ends ahead of schedule, and now - without even starting.
In February 2024, the British thought about preserving or selling the aircraft carrier "Prince of Wales" at a reduced price to a friendly country. This issue is being discussed against the background of news that the spring draft budget does not provide for any significant increase in defense spending.
The main reason is that the ship was under repair for 9 months, after which it was never able to go to sea.
If we want to solve budgetary problems, we can get rid of the aircraft carrier or transfer it, say, to an ally from AUKUS, - quotes the source as The Daily Mail.
Shortage of personnel for manning ships
In January 2024, The Telegraph reported that the British Navy had to decommission two warships HMS Westminster and HMS Argyll due to a lack of personnel to man the new frigates of the Type 26 project. Both vessels have recently returned from major repairs.
The reason for the implementation of these measures is the personnel shortage. Recruitment in the Navy and Royal Marines was down 22.1 per cent on the previous year, with the Air Force down almost 17 per cent and the Ground Force down 15 per cent.
At the same time, a member of the British Royal Navy was fired for keeping a page on the OnlyFans service. The publication of candid photographs from the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales brought him about £20,000 a month (the salary in the navy was £1,500).
2023: Training Ukrainian divers
In July 2023, it became known that divers and mine specialists of the British naval forces began training Ukrainian servicemen to neutralize Russian explosive devices. The combat training process is organized in Scotland and allegedly aimed at "ensuring the safety of Ukrainian citizens and commercial shipping after the end of the conflict."
The event is hosted by sailors from Delta Diving Unit 1 in conjunction with instructors from other countries, NATO including,,, and USA France. Belgium Georgia The training modules cover a wide range of operations, from clearing deep-sea shipping lanes to securing shallow waters and beaches for amphibious raids. Special attention is paid to neutralizing threats in ports, berths and other infrastructure facilities.
To train Ukrainian servicemen, unmanned underwater vehicles equipped with special sensors are used, which allow operators to more accurately identify the threat. After the discovery of a dangerous object, divers begin to neutralize it.
These measures are not the first attempt to train Ukrainian divers. In August 2022, representatives of the British Navy and servicemen of the 6th US Fleet also trained Ukrainians in the operation of underwater unmanned aerial vehicles. After completing the training course, the British promised to transfer six units of these military equipment. Then the former commander of the British Navy, Alan West, assured that this would significantly change the situation in the Odessa region, allow the removal of food from Ukraine and prevent world famine. It's been almost a full year since, but no change has happened.
2022: Intensification of fleet modernization after the outbreak of conflict in Ukraine
In the second half of 2022, Britain intensified the process of modernizing the country's armed forces. It was influenced by both the general need for rearmament and hostilities in Ukraine with a partial exhaustion of reserves caused by large supplies of military products to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On November 15, 2022, the Ministry of Defense agreed with BAE Systems to expand the agreement on the construction of three frigates of the Type 26 project ordered by the military department earlier. Now by 2030, eight new ships will appear in the ranks of the royal naval forces.
1982: Falklands War
The Falklands War began on 2 April 1982 with Argentina's invasion and capture of the Falkland Islands (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands the following day) in an attempt to establish the sovereignty it claimed.
On April 5, the British government sent a naval operational unit to attack the Argentine Navy and Air Force before landing on the islands.
The conflict lasted 74 days and ended with the defeat of Argentina on June 14, 1982 and the return of control of the islands of Great Britain.
A total of 649 Argentine and 255 British troops were killed during the fighting, as well as three Falkland Islanders.
1900
1805: Death of the Spanish-French fleet in the Battle of Trafalgar with Britain
The result of the war with Britain was the death of the Spanish-French fleet in the Battle of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805 and the actual submission of Spain to Napoleon.
1791: England arm large maritime forces to attack Russia in the Baltic
In the spring of 1791, relations between Russia and England once again deteriorated greatly. The reason for this was the successes of the Russian troops in the second Turkish war. The English wished the Swedish king to attack Russia again, but after recent crushing defeats, he did not violate the Verel peace. Then England armed a large naval force to send to the Baltic Sea. 36 battleships, 12 frigates and the same number of small ships were equipped [2]
William Pitt the Younger, the youngest prime minister in British history, was preparing to speak in Parliament explaining the need for such a move. Among the speakers who spoke ardently against another aggression was Charles James Fox (1749-1806), a famous politician, a friend of the Prince of Wales (later King George IV). As a result, it was decided to send envoys to Russia to put forward the terms of the agreement.
After Fox delivered a fiery speech in the English parliament objecting to plans to attack Russia, Empress Catherine II was delighted by the speaker.
The Chancellor of the Russian Empire, Count Bezborodko, acquired a marble bust of Fox by personal order of the Empress, and for the Cameron Gallery in Tsarskoye Selo, the bust was cast in bronze.
This episode had a response in England in the form of a rather evil caricature called "The Rise of the Patriot," in which Empress Catherine II hoists a bust of Fox, and the philosophers Cicero and Demosthenes run away from the pedestals from their niches in horror. For more details see Tsarskoye Selo.
Ground forces
2025: The total number of ground forces is about 70 thousand people. Lack of technology
The total number of British ground forces in February 2025 is about 70 thousand people. Of course, not all of them are "combat bayonets" and can be involved in operations in connection with various purposes, combat readiness and the availability of equipment.
According to some estimates, the British actually have only 20-25 Challenger-2 tanks - the rest are either being repaired or used as part donors. The only tank plant in the country was closed and given for development.
Things are about the same with artillery: given the transfer of 32 self-propelled guns to Ukraine AS-90 the British at best have about 50 installations of this type, some of which are clearly not combat-ready and "cannibalized." There are also 14 Swedish Archer acquired.
In addition, the British formally have 100-120 towed L118 guns at their disposal. Whether the self-propelled guns have shells in the required quantity is unknown.
With infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers and armored vehicles, the situation is much better. Although there are problems there - to take the same story with the production of the new Ajax infantry fighting vehicle, of which only 26 out of 589 units were transferred by 2023, wrote Fisherman"."
Combat missions could potentially be assigned to combat brigade groups 1 and 3 divisions. According to the most optimistic estimates, they are able to field about 10-12 thousand military personnel.
The real number is even less for the totality of reasons:
- The British contingent in Ukraine will have to go through rotation. So either the British command will need to look for thousands of reservists, or divide the numbers into two.
- Ensuring the influx of personnel into the army is an even more difficult task - in Britain, even without any major overseas operations, there is a shortage of personnel, which has only grown over the years.
- Moreover, everything described in relation to the situation when British troops will stand somewhere in the rear and not participate in hostilities. If they begin to suffer losses, then the contingent will run out much faster.
The last ground operations of the British army were in Iraq and Afghanistan: how many servicemen received real experience there, and who is still unknown in the ranks.
Yes, the British also have strengths - a good level of information and communication systems, as well as the preparation of special forces. But the infantry still leads the war, albeit with the support of other genera-species-means. And Britain does not have enough of this yet, especially for a high-intensity conflict.
2024: DragonFire Laser Weapon Combat Test
In January 2024, the British Ministry of Defense announced combat tests of DragonFire laser weapons that took place in the Hebrides in Scotland. The system successfully hit several aerial targets in the line-of-sight area, according to the statement.
2023: Suspension of participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe
In November 2023, the British authorities decided to suspend participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe ( CFE) in response to Russian actions . In London, they threaten, together with their allies, to develop and implement a number of stabilizing measures.
The agreement was signed by representatives of NATO countries and the Warsaw Pact Organization in 1990. The document is a system of quantitative restrictions on five categories of military equipment: tanks, armored fighting vehicles, artillery systems of 100 mm caliber and above, combat aircraft, attack helicopters.
The amount of military equipment that the British had at the time of signing the treaty and which they have in 2023 is incomparable. Thus, the document allows you to keep 1015 battle tanks at the disposal, while, according to official data, [1] 224 Challenger-2 are now in stock, of which 14 are in Ukraine.
The other categories have a similar picture. Against this background, it is comical to observe such statements from the Foreign Office, the Rybar channel wrote. The CFE did not prevent the British from building up the combat capabilities of the armed forces.
2022: Contract with Saab to manufacture several thousand NLAW anti-tank missile systems
On December 8, 2022, a contract was signed with the Swedish company Saab for the production of several thousand NLAW anti-tank missile systems in 2024-2026, in addition to 500 already contracted for delivery in 2023. They were ordered to compensate for the shortage caused by the transfer of large batches of these ATGMs to Ukraine. The deal amounted to about 229 million pounds.
1935
Marines
2025: 6.5 thousand servicemen with good training and lack of heavy weapons
The number of British marines as of March 2025 is about 6.5 thousand troops. The main advantage is the relatively high level of training. However, the British Marines actually lack heavy weapons, and mobile capabilities are limited due to the imminent decommissioning of the only landing ships HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark in order to save budget.
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