LONDON — Further meetings and discussions with a range of British politicians, senior military and defense officials and academics were rather depressing for several reasons perhaps less visible on the other or our side of the Atlantic.

Keir Starmer's Labour Government, in trying to make its case to the British public and resolve two unresolvable problems at once, has coined the unusual phrase “defense dividend.” What it means is that the proposed defense spending increases in 2027 to 2.5 percent of GDP will create a multiplier effect and stimulate greater economic growth. And this increase will deal with the need for added military capability to deal with as seen as an alarming Russian threat to Europe in light of its attack and aggression against Ukraine.

The reality is that the

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