OREANDA-NEWS  The number of the British armed forces will be reduced by 10 thousand people, but this will be offset by the wider use of new technologies and unmanned aerial vehicles. This information is reported in the strategy for the modernization of the armed forces of the United Kingdom.

The UK Department of Defense is to publish a strategy on Monday. It will talk about how the UK will create new special forces, spend 6.6 billion pounds sterling on the creation of hypersonic weapons and attract SAS Air Force special forces to counter the Russian military and intelligence.

According to official data from the country's Ministry of Defense, the number of British ground forces in January 2021 was 81,550 people.

Defense Minister Ben Wallace, commenting on plans to reform the armed forces, said that the reduction will not lead to a decrease in combat effectiveness, as the troops will be equipped with more modern weapons.

Last Monday, the country's government published a new foreign and defense strategy for the next 30 years, according to which Britain will increase its nuclear arsenal by 40% and spend more than 24 billion pound sterling on defense spending. The strategy of modernization of the country's Armed Forces is focused on the development and adoption of new technologies, but at the same time it provides for a reduction in the number of armed forces and payments to servicemen.