IF Sir Keir Starmer is hoping that the long-awaited(期待已久的) and bitterly contested(激烈争论的) defence investment plan (DIP) that finally broke cover(浮出水面，公开露面) on June 30th will be seen as a lasting legacy, he is likely to be disappointed(他很可能要失望了). The document, which commits(承诺投入) £15bn ($20bn) of new funding to the armed forces over the next four years and sets out spending plans for the next decade, contains much that is sensible(明智的) and even bold. But at a time when European allies are rapidly rearming(重新武装) and in the face of increased global threats, the goal of allocating 2.7% of GDP to defence by 2029, an increase of just 0.1 percentage points over next year’s level, looks paltry(微不足道的).
如果基尔·斯塔默爵士希望这份期待已久且备受争议的国防投资计划（DIP）——终于在6月30日浮出水面——能被视为一项持久遗产，他很可能要失望了。该文件承诺未来四年为武装部队新增150亿英镑（200亿美元）资金，并制定了未来十年的支出计划，其中包含许多明智甚至大胆的内容。但在欧洲盟友迅速重新武装、全球威胁日益加剧之际，到2029年将国防支出占GDP比重提升至2.7%的目标——仅比明年水平增加0.1个百分点——显得微不足道。
At NATO’s summit in Ankara next week, Sir Keir’s last hurrah(最后的告别) as prime minister, otherwise sympathetic fellow leaders will ask some hard questions(尖锐的问题) about Britain’s path to meeting its pledge of core defence spending reaching 3.5% of GDP by 2035. The new defence secretary, Dan Jarvis—who stepped in(接替，介入) after John Healey resigned two weeks ago over Sir Keir’s inability(无力，无能) “to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country”—says that in the next spending review defence “will be the number-one priority”. But there is nothing to bind the hands of(束缚手脚) Sir Keir’s successor, Andy Burnham.
在下周于安卡拉举行的北约峰会上——这是斯塔默作为首相的最后一次亮相——本应表示同情的盟国领导人将对英国实现其核心国防支出到2035年占GDP 3.5%承诺的路径提出尖锐质疑。新任国防大臣丹·贾维斯——他在约翰·希利两周前因斯塔默“无法承诺国家保卫所需资源”而辞职后接任——表示在下一轮支出审查中，国防“将是第一优先事项”。但没有任何条款能束缚斯塔默的继任者安迪·伯纳姆的手脚。
Indeed, Mr Burnham will inherit(继承) a problem. To make space for(为……腾出空间) the DIP, there are to be cuts in energy and transport schemes—not great for a government that stresses the importance for growth of infrastructure. And an unidentified £4.7bn shortfall(缺口，不足) in the DIP’s funding will still need to be found at the next budget.
事实上，伯纳姆先生将继承一个难题。为了给国防投资计划腾出空间，能源和交通计划将被削减——这对于一个强调基础设施对增长重要性的政府来说并不理想。此外，该计划资金中还有一笔47亿英镑未明确的缺口仍需在下次预算中找到。