Johnson Vows $22 Billion for Defense to ‘Bolster’ U.K. Influence
- Investment comes despite coronavirus hit to country’s finances
- Focus on cyber, space, as PM calls for capability ‘upgrade’
Photographer: Leon Neal/Getty Images
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Boris Johnson will announce an extra 16.5 billion pounds ($22 billion) in defense spending over the next four years, as he tries to boost U.K. influence and counter growing threats from cyber and space warfare.
In a speech Thursday to mark the initial findings of a military and foreign policy review, the prime minister will lay out plans for an agency dedicated to artificial intelligence, the creation of a National Cyber Force and a new Space Command capable of launching its first rocket in 2022, his office said.