LONDON — US Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno has added his voice to the chorus of senior politicians and military figures on both sides of the Atlantic voicing concerns over the potential impact of further defense cuts to Britain's armed forces.
"I would be lying to you if I did not say that I am very concerned about the gross domestic product investment [on defense] in the UK," Odierno told the Daily Telegraph in an interview Monday.March 2.
British defense spending of £33 billion (US $50.9 billion) a year hovers just above the target set by NATO of 2 percent of gross domestic product.
None of the major political parties here will commit to maintaining spending at that level and with further cuts expected after the May 7 general election, think tanks like the Royal United Services Institute reckon it could fall to as little as 1.6 percent by 2020.
America's top soldier warned that the level of capability the British could contribute to an alliance with the US is being diminished.
"In the past we would have a British Army division working alongside an American division. Now it might be a British brigade inside an American division, or even a British battalion inside an American brigade," he said.
"We have to adjust our program to make sure we are all able to see that we can still work together," he warned.
Odierno joined Gen. Peter Wall, who until recently was the British Army chief of the General Staff, and Liam Fox, the ex-Conservative defense secretary, who both warned in the past few days about the damaging impact of any further defense cuts after May 7.
Last month it emerged that during a meeting in Washington in January, US President Barack Obama warned British Prime Minister David Cameron against allowing British defense spending to drop below the NATO target of 2two percent of gross domestic product.
The US Army chief said it wasn't just Britain wasn't the only that was a concern. regarding defense spending levels
"As we look at threats around the world, these are global issues, and we need to have multinational solutions," he said.
"They are concerning to everyone. We all need to be able to invest and work together to solve these problems," Odierno said.
British spending reductions have already resulted in axing the Royal Air Forces maritime patrol aircraft capability, significantly reducing the size of the Army and dropping the Royal Navy's aircraft carrier force until early in the next decade.
The capability cuts resulted from the Conservative-led coalition government's implementation of major military spending cuts to the British military following their 2010 election win.
With the country's public finances still in a serious fix, the Tories and Labour, the other major political party here, have warned of further austerity measures for most government departments after May 7.
Education, Health and overseas aid budgets have been ring-fenced but defense hasn't.
Some analysts put the possible cut in defense at around 7 percent, a similar level to the last reduction. last time round.
That figure, though, was only half the story as the government also cut what it said was a £38 billion black hole in unfunded defense commitments left it by the previous Labour administration.
A strategic defense and security review is scheduled set to follow the setting of spending levels by the incoming government.
Increasingly, executives and others here are saying it could be well into 2016 before the strategic review, with its decisions about programs, capabilities and troop numbers, is completed or maybe even started.
Email: achuter@defensenews.com.
Andrew Chuter is the United Kingdom correspondent for Defense News.
