UK Defense Procurement Minister Maria Eagle has assured that the defense cuts announced this week will not lead to job losses in the British armed forces.
Speaking aboard the Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, while docked in Hamburg, Eagle emphasized that the decision to retire outdated warships, helicopters, and drones would free up funds for future defense investments.
“None of our armed forces will lose their jobs,” said Eagle, explaining that personnel would be redeployed. The decision to phase out “virtually obsolescent” equipment, such as Cold War-era Chinook helicopters, was necessary to address a budget shortfall, she added.
The cuts, which include the decommissioning of two amphibious assault ships (HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark), logistics vessels (RFA Wave Knight and RFA Wave Ruler), and a frigate (HMS Northumberland) with major structural damage, are expected to save £150 million over the next two years in operating costs. Over five years, the total savings will amount to £500 million.
Eagle defended the move, stating that the money saved would be reinvested in addressing future strategic threats rather than maintaining obsolete vessels that will never return to service. “The money that we save in this way will enable us to spend on dealing with the strategic threats that we’re going to face in future instead of pretending that ships which are never going to go back to sea should be kept as if they might be,” she said.
However, the plan has been criticized by opposition parties. Richard Tice, Deputy Leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, argued that the cuts would “undermine our military’s readiness” and leave the UK “weak and vulnerable” amid rising global tensions.
