Two ministers have publicly called upon the government to increase defense spending to surpass 2.5% of the national income.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Tom Tugendhat emphasized the need for the UK to "take the lead" and invest at a "much faster rate."

Their article, shared on LinkedIn, comes after criticism of this week's Budget for its failure to elevate defense spending.

In presenting the Budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt stated that spending was above 2%, NATO's target, and would escalate to 2.5% "as soon as economic conditions permit."

However, Ms. Trevelyan, a Foreign Office minister, and Mr. Tugendhat, the Security Minister, argued that the global threats posed by countries like Russia and China demand immediate action.

"The unfortunate reality is that the world is no longer peaceful," they stated in the article published on Saturday.

"Protecting ourselves necessitates investment. And effective investment requires our industrial capabilities to grow and fortify at a much quicker pace than current."

"We cannot suddenly activate the complex platforms and weaponry that ensure military superiority. We must commence this growth now, investing rapidly to bolster our allies and outpace our adversaries."

The ministers also commended former Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson for making strides in augmenting defense spending.

While ministers often advocate to the chancellor before budgets, it is unusual for them to speak out afterward.

It is understood that both ministers remain fully supportive of Mr. Hunt and the government's policy to reach 2.5% of gross domestic product "as soon as possible," but they emphasized the urgency of achieving the target promptly.

The House of Commons' spending watchdog cautioned on Friday that the gap between the MoD's budget and the cost of the UK's desired military capabilities had widened to £16.9bn - the largest deficit ever - despite an injection of £46.3bn over the next decade.

The Public Accounts Committee also cautioned that the actual deficit could be closer to £29bn, as some branches of the armed forces only included capabilities that were financially feasible, rather than all those requested by the government.

Defense Secretary Grant Shapps wrote to Mr. Hunt in January, urging a commitment to 2.5% in the Budget.

However, a source close to him stated that he had no involvement in the LinkedIn article.

The piece was also not cleared by Downing Street, but a No 10 source indicated that this was customary for social media posts.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak informed MPs in January that the government would outline a path towards 2.5%, adding that in the previous spending review, there had been a £24bn cash increase - the "largest sustained increase since the end of the Cold War". Photo by Chris McAndrew, Wikimedia commons.