British Army halts non-essential training to manage budget shortfall
UK units not preparing for deployment told to cut exercises as defence spending pressures mount despite government increases.
What to know
- The British Army is cutting non-essential training exercises for UK-based units not preparing for deployment due to budget pressures, though deployable units will continue training.
- Cancelled exercises include live fire drills by the Royal Tank Regiment in Wales and tank/Apache helicopter operations; the pause is expected to last most of 2026.
- Defence spending is increasing to 2.5% of GDP next year, but the MoD's training budget remains under significant pressure despite increased overall funding earmarked for capital projects.
- The government faces pressure to commit to 3% defence spending by 2030 to meet NATO targets and lessons learned from the Ukraine war.
British Army Armed forces implementing cuts
Andy Burnham Prime MinisterTan Singh Dhesi Labour MP, Commons Defence Select Committee chairman
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Sky News
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https://www. theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/s ep/04/british-army-halt-non-essential-training-exercises-save-money .
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The army has been forced to stop a range of vital training, including live-fire tank exercises, because of a lack of money even as the government warns that the UK needs to be ready for war. Sky News' Security and Defence editor @haynesdeborah reports:
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# BBCNews - British army told to stop non-essential training exercises to save money https://www. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgyqe y6rlyo