The Former Chief of the General Staff has called for UK defence spending to rise to at least three percent of GDP.
Gen Lord Dannatt MC warned that defence spending was important to provide an effective deterrent to Vladimir Putin.
Speaking on GB News, Lord Richard Dannatt said: “NATO is undoubtedly at the centre and the heart of our defence strategy. It's our single most significant defensive alliance and I think, particularly since Brexit, it's really important that the UK shows itself to be a strong European partner within NATO and play our part in European collective defence. That's really important.
“But Donald Trump, for all his bluster and his and his colourful language, makes a very fair point. All the European NATO members must pay their way.
“There's a lot of talk about two percent as the figure: well, that’s the baseline, that's the minimum.
“Countries like ourselves should be paying more than we are to be a significant player in deterring future aggression from Russia.
“And that's the secret: it's all about deterring future aggression, not limbering up to fight another bloody, disastrous war.
“The current situation has been exacerbated by the fact that we have given a lot of our weapons, munitions, ammunition and missiles to Ukraine, because Ukraine, effectively, is holding the ring at the present moment, and actually buying us time.
“We're currently at about 2.2% [of GDP] in this country, but there's a growing clamour to go to 2.5% on its way to 3%. And personally, I think that's absolutely right.
“A lot of parallels are being made with the 1930s. Just think back to the 1930s. there was a dictator showing aggression in Europe. We chose to appease him, we chose not to rearm.
“In 1935, we were spending less than 3% of GDP on defence. When the war broke out, appeasement having failed, that shot up to 18%. And in 1940, where we were fighting for our lives, it was 46%.
“That's the disastrous cost of fighting a war. What we need to do is pay the premium to deter future aggression and I reckon that’s about 3 percent at least.”
