Comment from Dr. Teresa Dumasy at Conciliation Resources in response to the chancellor’s statement:
“We were reassured to hear that Jeremy Hunt cannot commit to Truss’s promise to increase defence spending,” Dr. Teresa Dumasy, Director of research, advisory and policy at Conciliation Resources, says. “Inflating the defence budget will not buy us greater security – the focus should be on investing in conflict prevention and peacebuilding that break cycles of conflict.
The plan outlined by Liz Truss would have increased defence spending from 2.2% to 3% of GDP by 2030 – the biggest increase since the 1950s. Increased militarisation is not just expensive – it doesn’t work. Despite total global military expenditure skyrocketing in recent years, the cost of violence and the number of people affected by conflict globally is skyrocketing as well. If we want to secure a safer world for future generations, we must invest in peacebuilding and stop ballooning the budget for military spending.”
