The British Army has been told to pause “non-essential” training activities in order to reduce costs, according to a defence source.

Under the guidance, troops preparing to be deployed, and units already on deployments, will continue to train. That includes forces scheduled for missions such as those sent to Estonia, the Falklands and Cyprus.

Units based in the UK that are not preparing for a specific deployment have been directed to scale back collective training exercises, with the changes linked to financial pressures.

The move comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham faces growing pressure to increase defence spending. The government has said it will raise defence spending to 2.5% of national income by next year, while also facing calls to reach a 3% target by the end of the decade.

UK-Based exercises reduced

A defence source said the plan is intended to stop “nice to have training”, including large live-fire exercises and drills that rehearse platoon attacks on UK training areas such as Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire and Sennybridge in Wales.

It is understood that some exercises scheduled for cancellation include one involving the Royal Tank Regiment conducting live-fire drills in Wales, along with a separate exercise involving tanks and Apache helicopters.

The source said the pause is expected to last for most of this year, affecting training that is not tied to an imminent deployment.

Deployment and modernisation training continues

The Army said training aimed at preparing troops for operations will continue, as will activity designed to develop new capabilities.

It is understood that specific training focused on modernising the force, including practice in drone and counter-drone warfare, is expected to carry on.

The Army said it is prioritising training based on lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, and that each request for training is being reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

An Army spokesperson said: “Our training continues and we are prioritising activity that contributes most directly to readiness, deployability and operational effectiveness.”

The spokesperson added that the Army is investing £2bn to transform training for the British Army over the next 15 years.

Spending targets remain under debate

While the government plans to increase defence funding, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is still struggling to meet all its investment plans, the source said.

Much of the additional money is earmarked for capital projects, including new weapons programmes, leaving training budgets under continued pressure.

During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Labour MP Tan Singh Dhesi, chairman of the Commons Defence Select Committee, said it was “imperative” that investment in the armed forces continues. He urged Burnham to commit to reaching 3% of GDP spending on defence by 2030.

Burnham said in response that he had made his commitment “very clear” and had done so for “a considerable period of time”.

Questions over defence spending were also raised during the previous period when Labour ministers were reshuffled. Defence Secretary John Healey resigned after Sir Keir Starmer’s predecessor set out funding plans for the armed forces.

Under the Defence Investment Plan (Dip), defence spending is set to rise to 2.7% of GDP by 2027/28, but there are no firm details on how further increases would be delivered after that point.

The Treasury has said the government will provide plans for reaching both 3% and 3.5% at the spending review scheduled for next year.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has urged Burnham to cut welfare spending and invest the money in defence. The party says it would spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2030.

Helen Whately, the Tory shadow secretary of state for work and pensions, said: “Faced with a choice between spending on military training and spending on benefits... Labour chooses more benefits.”

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4 September 2026

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4 hours ago, webfact said:

“Faced with a choice between spending on military training and spending on benefits... Labour chooses more benefits.”

That says it all...

“Faced with a choice between spending on military training and spending on benefits... Labour chooses more benefits.”

Benefits for whom ?

I'll bet this doesn't aply for ukranian trainees.

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/over-68000-ukrainian-troops-now-trained-in-the-uk/

Except to protect embassies, why do you even have a military ?

Army grunts don't get much to do of late ...

Navy hasn't fired off a missile in over 2 yrs.

Air force doing nothing buy risking lives, and wasting tax pounds in countries that don't even like you, in 'Operation Shader;. Starting to resemble the USA.

Edited yesterday at 07:33 AM1 day by KhunLA

5 hours ago, impulse said:

That says it all...

This is why the UK is a declining nation.

Hahaha!

Hands up who remembers "Moriarty the Moritorium"!

Complete thicket of idiots and clowns running the UK now. All they think about is how to tax and spend more on the useless and feckless, but don't realise that the UK is pretty much at what economists and others call "peak tax", which essentially is that tax is at a level that if you push beyond it, then people and businesses flee and everything implodes. You need to cut the welfare blob and stop giving money to just anyone who rocks up on a beach... it's ludicrous that you think cutting defence spending further at a time like now is okay, just shows what a bunch of deluded morons you all are.