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LONDON (AP) 鈥� The United Kingdom will build new nuclear-powered attack submarines, get its army ready to fight a war in Europe and become 鈥渁 battle-ready, armor-clad nation,鈥� Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday, part of a boost to military spending designed to send a message to Moscow 鈥� and Washington.

Starmer said Britain 鈥渃annot ignore the threat that Russia poses鈥� as he pledged to undertake the most sweeping changes to Britain’s defenses since the collapse of the Soviet Union more than three decades ago.

鈥淭he threat we face is more serious, more immediate and more unpredictable than at any time since the Cold War,” Starmer told workers and journalists at a navy shipyard in Scotland.

A new era of threats

Like other NATO members, the U.K. has been reassessing its defense spending since Russia鈥檚 full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The government announced military plans in response to a strategic defense review commissioned by Starmer and led by George Robertson, a former U.K. defense secretary and NATO secretary general. It’s the first such review since 2021, and lands in a world shaken and transformed by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and by the re-election of President Donald Trump last year.

Months after Britain’s last major defense review was published in 2021, then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson said with confidence that the era of 鈥渇ighting big tank battles on European landmass鈥� are over. Three months later, Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine.

Starmer’s center-left Labour Party government says it will accept all 62 recommendations made in the review, aiming to help the U.K. confront growing threats on land, air sea and in cyberspace.

Submarines and weapons

The measures include increasing production of submarines and weapons and 鈥渓earning the lessons of Ukraine,” which has rapidly developed its drone technology to counter Moscow’s forces and even hit targets deep inside Russia.

The government said the U.K, will also establish a cyber command to counter 鈥渄aily鈥� Russia-linked attacks on Britain’s defenses.

Monday鈥檚 announcements include building 鈥渦p to 12鈥� nuclear-powered, conventionally armed submarines under the AUKUS partnership with Australia and the United States. The government also says it will invest 15 billion pounds in Britain鈥檚 nuclear arsenal, which consists of missiles carried on a handful of submarines. Details of those plans are likely to be kept secret.

The government will also increase conventional Britain鈥檚 weapons stockpiles with up to 7,000 U.K.-built long-range weapons.

Starmer said rearming would create a 鈥渄efense dividend鈥� of thousands of well-paid manufacturing jobs 鈥� a contrast to the post-Cold War 鈥減eace dividend鈥� that saw Western nations channel money away from defense into other areas.

Deterring Russia comes at a cost

Defense Secretary John Healey said the changes would send 鈥渁 message to Moscow,鈥� and transform the country鈥檚 military following decades of retrenchment, though he said he does not expect the number of soldiers 鈥� currently at a two-century low 鈥� to rise until the early 2030s.

Healey said plans for defense spending to hit 2.5% of national income by 2027 a year are 鈥渙n track鈥� and that there鈥檚 鈥渘o doubt鈥� it will hit 3% before 2034.

Starmer said the 3% goal is an 鈥渁mbition,鈥� rather than a firm promise, and it鈥檚 unclear where the cash-strapped Treasury will find the money. The government has already, contentiously, cut international aid spending to reach the 2.5% target.

Starmer said he wouldn鈥檛 make a firm pledge until he knew 鈥減recisely where the money is coming from.鈥�

Even 3% falls short of what some leaders in NATO think is needed to deter Russia from future attacks on its neighbors. NATO chief Mark Rutte says leaders of the 32 member countries will debate a commitment to spend at least 3.5% of GDP on defense when they meet in the Netherlands this month.

Bolstering Europe’s defenses

It’s also a message to Trump that Europe is heeding his demand for NATO members to spend more on their own defense.

European countries, led by the U.K. and France, have scrambled to coordinate their defense posture as Trump transforms American foreign policy, seemingly sidelining Europe as he looks to end the war in Ukraine. Trump has long questioned the value of NATO and complained that the U.S. provides security to European countries that don鈥檛 pull their weight.

Starmer said his government would make 鈥淏ritain’s biggest contribution to NATO since its creation.鈥�

鈥淲e will never fight alone,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur defense policy will always be NATO-first.鈥�

James Cartlidge, defense spokesman for the main opposition Conservative Party, welcomed more money for defense but was skeptical of the government’s 3% pledge,

鈥淎ll of Labour鈥檚 strategic defence review promises will be taken with a pinch of salt unless they can show there will actually be enough money to pay for them,鈥� he said.