The House of Commons Defense Committee said the Government had committed not to fall below the NATO recommended minimum of spending two percent of GDP on defense each year for the rest of the current Parliament, as this "sends an important message to UK partners and potential adversaries."
'2% defence target achieved only through creative accounting': @CommonsDefence Second Report published today: https://t.co/0lsOK4H8nR
— Defence Committee (@CommonsDefence) April 21, 2016
However, the calculation on how to reach that two percent target has been challenged by the lawmakers, who say "creative accounting" has been used to achieve it.
"Quite what accounts have been included in the definitive Defense Budget, both now and in the past, are unclear," they said in their report.
Today's blog covers recognition for the Army and Navy, plus the latest on defence spending https://t.co/xXVzXnGVSQ pic.twitter.com/FvEkPWZnCh
— Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) April 21, 2016
In making a comparison between defense spending in 2010 and 2015, the committee said the "criteria have been amended to include several significant items not previously included when calculating defense expenditure.
"Since these items are instrumental in attaining the minimum 2% figure, the Government can be said to have 'shifted the goalposts' in comparison with previous years.
"There is a risk that the promise of new money to defense could be undermined by the inclusion of items in the re-calculation of defense expenditure that previously had not fallen within the Ministry of Defense (MoD) budget."
Wales Declaration
According to the report, despite the UK's high ranking, in terms of defense spending, relative to other NATO members, UK defense expenditure has fallen far too low in the UK's national priorities.
"It's good news that we have managed to achieve the two percent promise for Defense Spending but if the MOD has only achieved this by including things like war pensions or intelligence gathering which previously came under other budgets, you wonder what effective, battle-winning spending increases have actually been made. The MoD have shed insufficient light on this confusion," Defense Committee Chairman, Dr Julian Lewis MP, said.
It its final declaration, the NATO leaders declared: "We agree to reverse the trend of declining defense budgets and aim to increase defense expenditure in real terms as GDP grows; we will direct our defense budgets as efficiently and effectively as possible; we will aim to move towards the existing NATO guideline of spending 2% of GDP on defense within a decade, with a view to fulfilling NATO capability priorities."
