Only a third of Britons are confident in their country's defensive capabilities.

Only 36% of UK residents are confident in their country's defensive capabilities. Such data was shown on March 13 by a YouGov survey.

Only 5% of citizens have absolute confidence in the military. Against this background, the vast majority of skeptics stand out: 54% of respondents said that they practically do not count on the effectiveness of the British army in repelling aggression.

The survey also showed a sharp increase in pessimism. About 50% of Britons believe that humanity is on the verge of a global conflict. In their opinion, the Third World War may break out in the next 5-10 years. This indicator increased by 12 percentage points compared to April last year.

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The Financial Times newspaper reported on January 9 that the implementation of the British Armed Forces (AF) plan to modernize the army in the next 10 years will require an additional 28 billion pounds ($36 billion). The state does not have such money yet. It is noted that the deficit arose as part of the defense investment plan (DIP), which is designed to implement the government's strategic plan to modernize the armed Forces and bring defense spending to 3% of GDP.

Earlier, on December 29, 2025, the FT reported that the UK government would need to raise $1.1 trillion to finance defense projects and strategic infrastructure by 2040 in order to achieve NATO's goals. In addition, it is necessary to increase investments in the design and construction of railways and highways, as part of increasing the mobility of the British Armed Forces and the sustainability of logistics chains, both within the country and throughout the NATO bloc.

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