Britain's leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt Wednesday praised Israel's ability to defend itself against a major aerial attack by Iran earlier this month in an opinion piece for the Daily Mail. She stated that Britain can learn lessons from how the smaller nation was able to mount such a formidable defense despite its size.
On April 14, Iran launched around 300 drones and missiles towards Israel in an overnight strike aimed at causing widespread damage. However, Israel's sophisticated Iron Dome anti-missile system successfully intercepted and destroyed virtually all of the incoming weapons with little to no damage inflicted.
"Israel's defense showcased its capabilities and gave it strategic choice, deterrence, and diplomatic capital," Mordaunt wrote in the opinion piece. "You don't have to be a big country to be a powerful one."
Mordaunt highlighted how Israel has consistently dedicated around 5% of it GDP towards defense spending, allowing for major investments in training, technology, infrastructure, and strategic capabilities. She argued this commitment to defense has strengthened Israel's economy rather than hindered it.
"Israel's long-sightedness and ability to find long-term consensus on defense policy" should be something Britain proudly emulates, according to Mordaunt. She stated Britain has also kept defense spending strong compared to other European nations.
The opinion piece comes as Britain has announced steady annual increases in defense spending, allocating an extra £75 billion ($93 billion) over the next six years. This is intended to not only boost security but drive resilience and economic growth as well.
"These obvious threats to our interests, combined with the aftermath of a global pandemic, have left people feeling worried and vulnerable. No words, only action will assure them," Mordaunt wrote, referencing threats like the war in Ukraine, cyber attacks and terrorism.
The spending increases will cement Britain's position as the biggest defense power in Europe and second only to the US within NATO according to Mordaunt. "Strength is a choice. It is a choice the prime minister has made," she stated.
