this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2024
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It's not particularly true outside the US though, most NATO members spend less than the 2%, and here in the UK the army is down to 30k or so staff. In a nation of 70 million. If total war were to break out, how long could the UK survive?
Meanwhile NHS spending as a % of GDP rose even under the conservatives, although this figure doesn't take into account an aging population.
European NATO allies have begun hitting 2% targets in recent years and there are heated debates about going way above that in multiple capitals.
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49198.htm
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-announces-turning-point-in-european-security-as-uk-set-to-increase-defence-spending-to-25-by-2030
I will note that in the UK case the situation described in the picture is particularly grotesque, if you consider the development of food bank statistics. The Trussel Trust distributed 3.1 million food parcels in 2023/2024, of these 1.1 million to children.
In 2008/2009 the number of parcels distributed was 26'000.
https://www.trusselltrust.org/news-and-blog/latest-stats/end-year-stats/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/382695/uk-foodbank-users/