British PM Rejects Military Leaders’ Calls for Bigger Budget

Insists Armed Forces Chiefs 'Always Want More'

The public differences of opinion between the top leaders of Britain’s military and Prime Minister David Cameron continue today, with Cameron publicly rejecting the leaders’ opposition to budget cuts and calls for more military spending.

The defense chiefs will always want more,” Cameron said, adding that he was “not frightened” to contradict the nation’s military leaders in public. Cameron also addressed the other major split between him and the military, the Afghan pullout.

The military leaders have been pressing Cameron to abandon the hope of ending the nation’s involvement in the war before the 2014 general election and affirm that British troops would remain for years beyond that. Cameron confirmed today that the troops would begin leaving within months and that the “by 2014” date was still the plan.

The US has reportedly “warned” Britain’s military against the possible pullout, and Cameron addressed this as well, saying that he had informed the US of his intentions a long time ago and was sure that they would “understand” his intentions.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.