British army told to stop non-essential training exercises to save money
The British Army has been ordered to pause non-essential training exercises to manage financial pressures within the Ministry of Defence. While essential deployment training continues, the cuts affect large-scale drills and live-fire exercises in the UK.
Why it matters
This reflects ongoing challenges in balancing national defense spending with fiscal constraints, potentially impacting military readiness.
Image source, Getty Images By Jonathan Beale , Defence correspondent and André Rhoden-Paul Published 3 September 2026 The Army has been told to stop "non-essential" training exercises to save money, according to a defence source.
It will continue to train soldiers preparing to be deployed or on deployments - such as units sent to Estonia, the Falklands or Cyprus.
But units back in the UK and who are not preparing for a specific deployment have been told to cut back on collective training exercises due to financial pressures.
It comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham faces pressure to increase spending on defence.
The government is increasing defence spending to 2.5% of national income by next year, but is under growing pressure to reach a target of 3% by the end of the decade.
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