Labour's approach to defence has been labelled hypocritical, as the Government's warnings about preparing for potential conflict contrast sharply with its Budget pledges.
Just last week, Britons were advised to begin stockpiling water, tins of baked beans and other essential items in case of a crisis. Days later, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting warned the country must be prepared for war in 1,000 days, suggesting adversaries could be ready to attack by 2030.
Logic would dictate that such serious warnings would be backed up by major action on defence in Wednesday's Budget.
Budget pledges fall short
Chancellor John Healey's headline announcements were that the much-delayed Defence Investment Plan will finally be "fully funded" and defence spending will be hiked to 3% of GDP by 2030.
The former is the bare minimum and the fact it's taken this long to finance in itself is a big stain on Labour's defence record. The latter is a significant promise, but at this stage is just that; a promise. As the old saying goes, action speaks louder than words and it is action that is desperately needed to deter Vladimir Putin.
Details of how this uplift will be achieved won't be revealed until next year's spending review.
Pressure on Armed Forces
This means yet more financial pressure on the stretched Armed Forces and uncertainty for the defence industry. The Chancellor is well aware of the significant restraints facing military personnel.
He resigned as Sir Keir Starmer's Defence Secretary in a row over military funding earlier this year. While at the dispatch box on Wednesday, he revealed how his own reservist son some years ago returned from an exercise with "no kit" and "no bullets to fire".
These pledges instead of pounds are all the more maddening as the welfare bill continues to bloat, with Mr Healey confirming no cuts will happen this Parliament. The chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility said the welfare spend as a share of GDP is rising from 10.5% to 11%.
Meanwhile, increasing defence spending by 0.4 percentage points appears to be an uphill battle. Labour has told the public to be adequately prepared for crises, now ministers must ensure the Armed Forces are too.
Spending figures row
Labour has repeatedly claimed it is delivering the "biggest sustained increase" in defence spending since the Cold War. But troops who've had their training drills cancelled in a bid to save cash would probably disagree.
Despite the rhetoric, documents in the Budget show the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is actually set to receive £1billion a year less in 2027-28 and 2028-29 than previously earmarked. Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge slammed this as a "complete dereliction of duty" from the Chancellor.
However, Treasury officials have argued the change is actually due to previous forecasts for the cost of Armed Forces pensions being adjusted down. They've insisted there is no cut to the MoD's budget and any suggestions this is the case is down to a misinterpretation of the figures.
UK-Poland defence ties
Britain and Poland have signed a new defence agreement aimed at deterring Russian threats. Under the Warsaw Defence Plan, the NATO allies will work together to build a new generation of air defence missiles, as well as new drones and anti-drone measures.
The countries will also collaborate on more traditional land, sea and air defence. Poland has one of the most powerful armies in NATO and is spending around 4.8% of national income on defence.
