David Stringer
Associated Press
LONDON — Britain will lose thousands of troops, build new aircraft carriers – without new fighter jets – and delay a multibillion pound (dollar) upgrade to its nuclear deterrent under sweeping defense cuts being announced Tuesday following the first major military review in more than a decade.
Ahead of a speech to Parliament, Prime Minister David Cameron told troops in London that Britain will remain a major global power, despite fears among allies that the austerity plans could diminish the country’s military might.
Cameron is scheduled to outline the details of cuts likely to total as much as 3 billion pounds ($4.8 billion) from the defense ministry’s annual budget of about 37 billion pounds ($59 billion).
In the most eye-catching move, Britain is expected to press ahead with a 5 billion pound (US$8 billion) program to build two flagship new aircraft carriers – but won’t equip them with British fighter jets for about a decade.
It means the vast vessels will either sail without aircraft, or carry French and U.S. jets – a decision the main opposition Labour Party described as out of the ordinary.
“We will be an absolutely front rank military power,” Cameron promised, speaking at the Permanent Joint Headquarters, in London. “We will make sure that Britain is well defended and we have a set of armed forces that actually are fit for the modern world.”
Military cutbacks come a day before Treasury chief George Osborne’s long-anticipated announcement of a government-wide program to drastically cut department budgets and welfare bills.
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