British Army scrapping training slammed by former chief Lord Dannatt amid Argentina’s Falklands threat: ‘Our enemies are watching’

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'It's exactly what the Army does not want, and it's exactly what the nation does not want,' Lord Dannatt warned

Former Chief of the General Staff Lord Dannatt has slammed the British Army's scrapping of training as a cost-cutting measure.

Speaking to GB News, the former general warned that Britain’s “enemies are watching” as Argentinian President Javier Milei refreshed his nation’s claim on the Falkland Islands in a national address.

Yesterday, it was revealed that the British Army had been ordered to suspend large-scale training exercises because it lacked cash for day-to-day defence spending.

Units have been instructed to “cease activity” and halt “collective training” involving more than 90 personnel.

These restrictions do not apply to troops preparing for an imminent overseas deployment or a domestic standby commitment.

The restrictions have already forced the cancellation of major exercises, including a six-week war game in Wales due to begin next week involving Challenger 2 tanks and Apache helicopter gunships.

Lord Dannatt said the decision was the: “logical outworking of the underfunding of defence.”

“It's exactly what the Army does not want, and it's exactly what the nation does not want.”

The former Army chief suggested the cuts were made because the Ministry of Defence had realised it was overspending halfway through the financial year.

“The underlying problem is that we're not putting enough money into defence. We've got to address that issue urgently.”

Lord Dannatt said that Britain’s allies and adversaries would be watching the developments closely.

“I think our allies and our enemies alike will actually be looking at what's going on with defence.”

He claimed they would be “shaking their heads in disbelief that the UK is not taking our national security and our contribution to European security seriously”.

While operational and Ukraine-related training, as well as training for the Falklands, is continuing, Lord Dannatt said cancelling wider exercises would have a significant impact on Britain’s military capability.

“The overall skill level of soldiers within units and units working together is really developed and maximised by these larger-scale exercises,” he said.

Lord Dannatt also warned of the impact on morale, saying soldiers “like to train” and “like to be ready for whatever operations might come their way”.

“If they're stopped from training, it has a very negative effect on morale,” he said.

Lord Dannatt also criticised Labour for continuing to delay its commitment to increase defence spending to three per cent of GDP by 2030.

“The government is currently kicking that one down the track again, and frankly, it's shameful, and it's really a hazard to the security of this country.”

“We've got to get real, and we've got to get real very soon.”

Responding to the news, a British Army spokesman said: “Our training continues, and we are prioritising activity that contributes most directly to readiness to deploy, ability and operational effectiveness.”