London: British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Thursday that former US defence secretary Robert Gates was wrong to say that spending cuts meant Britain's armed forces were no longer able be a full military partner of the United States.
His blunt response underlined how sensitive his government is to charges that Britain's close ties with the US have been undermined by cuts to its military and parliament's refusal to approve British involvement in any air strikes on Syria.
It also reflected his determination to carry out spending cuts aimed at reducing large public debts, which top generals and even senior lawmakers in his own Conservative party have suggested have been too deep.
Britain is the world's fourth-largest military spender after the US, China and Russia but is cutting the army by 20,000 soldiers over this decade while its navy will lose 6000 personnel and its air force 5000.
Earlier on Thursday, Mr Gates, who served as defence secretary under presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, said he lamented the fact that the cuts had limited Britain's ability to work with the US.
"With the fairly substantial reductions in defence spending in Great Britain, what we're finding is that it won't have full spectrum capabilities and the ability to be a full partner as they have been in the past," Mr Gates told BBC Radio.
In central London inspecting a new rail project, Mr Cameron bristled at the remarks.
"I don't agree with him. I think he has got it wrong," said Mr Cameron. "We have the fourth-largest defence budget anywhere in the world. We are a first-class player in terms of defence and as long as I am Prime Minster that is the way it will stay."
Mr Gates highlighted the fact that Britain, for the first time since World War I, does not have an operational aircraft carrier even though the first of a new generation of carriers is due to enter into service in 2020.
Mr Cameron said what he called a "massive" £160 billion investment program would pay for new aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, destroyers and frigates.
Britain's defence ministry also disagreed with Mr Gates, saying in a statement that Britain had "the best-trained and best-equipped Armed Forces outside the US."
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